Cristin Milioti, Tonya Pinkins, Lin-Manuel Miranda and More Set for Joe's Pub, May-June 2013

By: May. 13, 2013
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Joe's Pub at The Public welcomes world premieres, highly-anticipated debuts and the return of many esteemed performers this May and June. Funny girl JULIE KLAUSNER makes her debut with two evenings of cabaret. Legendary downtown performance artist JOHN KELLY returns to premiere Rebel Songs. The 60s-inspired flight attendant PAM ANN returns for five nights in the Cockpit. Elsewhere: Tony Award-winners TONYA PINKINS and LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA, Once star CRISTIN MILIOTI, TAYLOR MAC'S epic exploration of popular music, a special appearance from Justin Vivian Bond, JOEY ARIAS, the greatest rapper in the world, CHAMPAGNE JERRY and more. Read on for more May and June cabaret, comedy, Broadway and musical theater highlights at Joe's Pub at The Public.

PASEK & PAUL IN CONCERT & DOGFIGHT CD RELEASE

May 15 at 9:30 & 11:30 PM

$25

After making their NYC concert debut at Joe's Pub in 2005, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul return to the stage to cap off an exciting theatrical season in New York City. Along with performances of their music from A CHRISTMAS STORY (Outer Critics Circle Nom: Best Broadway Musical), JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH, SMASH, and other works, they will celebrate the release of their Ghostlight Records cast album for DOGFIGHT (Lucille Lortel Nom: Outstanding Musical, Outer Critics Circle Nom: Best Off-Broadway Musical, Best Score, Best Book) featuring performances by the original cast of the Second Stage Theatre production! CDs are in stores May 21, but concert attendees will have the opportunity to purchase physical copies (including signed) at the concert on May 15! Benj & Justin will perform alongside other special guests to be announced!

NICOLE HENRY WITH SPECIAL GUEST GRACE WEBER

May 16 at 7:00 PM

$30 reserved; $35 premium

Nicole Henry has captivated audiences worldwide with her stunning voice and beguiling live performances that have earned her three top 10 albums, international media accolades and sold-out shows from Moscow to Madrid. New York Times critic Stephen Holden has raved about her live performances, saying "I had the sense of being in the presence of a pop-soul superwoman whose every gesture and inflection conveyed confidence and mastery..." On her latest album So Good, So Right: Nicole Henry Live, Henry delves into more pop/soul territory, demonstrating her gift for sublime interpretation as well as her love for the emotionally tinged soul, pop and rock songs that were staples of the 1970s. The 13-track live album showcases her inspired interpretations of Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, The Commodores and Gladys Knight. Originally from Milwaukee, Grace Weber moved to New York six years ago to attend NYU and now lives in Brooklyn. At 24, Grace has had an amazing journey so far. As a 10 year old in Milwaukee, Grace decided that she wanted to sing in an inner city gospel choir and years of doing that shaped not only her soulful voice but also gave her a worldview much broader than your ordinary kid growing up in a suburb.

ERIN MARKEY

May 16 at 9:30 PM

$15

Following her sold-out cabaret debut at Joe's Pub, Erin Markey brings what the New York Times calls her "magnetic diva aggression" back to the Joe's stage. Known for her dark, absurdist humor and "hair-raising singing voice," Erin creates an at once riotous and unexpectedly moving performance about figuring out who you might be. R&B, 90's pop, blues and original music score Erin's tales of mid-western family life and her salvation by Bible-Belt Christians, birthday presents and Ypsilanti strippers. Erin Markey at Joe's Pub is directed by Ben Rimalower (Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) with musical direction by Tony-nominated Kenny Mellman (The Julie Ruin, Kiki and Herb, Our Hit Parade).

ARIAS & AUSTIN: FROM THE GROUND UP

May 19 at 9:30 PM

$25

After a string of sold out shows this winter, the inimitable Joey Arias (Arias With A Twist, Zumanity) returns to Joe's Pub with his longtime friend and mentor Gary Austin. Austin is the founder of the celebrated LA improv theater The Groundlings where Joey holds the record as the company's youngest-ever member. Gary is also a singer-songwriter in the Western tradition of Gene Autry. Will Arias roll out some Patsy Cline? Anything is possible during this evening of laughter, song and shared memories between two creative giants and peerless improvisers. Music direction by Matt Ray.

TAYLOR MAC: MUSIC OF THE 1780s

May 21 at 7:00 PM

$20

A bedazzled creature builds a community by singing 24 concerts of the last 24 decades of popular music. Ultimately all 24 decades will be stitched together culminating in a 24-hour long extravaganza (in 2015) but for now join Taylor Mac and band as they use popular music from the 1780s to explore the decades biggest theme and the first novel published in the United States: "The Power of Sympathy".

BRIDGET EVERETT

May 21, June 19, July 31 at 9:30 PM

$22 Advance / $25 Door

Bridget Everett is a singing tour de force known for her funny yet gut-wrenching, outrageous and unpredictable performance work. She's been dubbed "Wynona Judd meets Melissa Etheridge, via the local bar floozy, on a rocket ship out of Twin Peaks" by Michael Musto from the Village Voice. She has appeared frequently on Time Out New York's annual list of top cabaret performers, ranking number one in 2010 on a list which included Alan Cumming and Elaine Stritch. Bridget was the cohost of Our Hit Parade, a sold-out monthly revue of current pop hits, with Kenny Mellman (Kiki and Herb) and Neal Medlyn at Joe's Pub. She starred in the original musical At Least It's Pink based on her life which she co-wrote with director Michael Patrick King and Mellman which played Ars Nova for 12 weeks. Bridget played Lynn Chenney in Taylor Mac's Red Tide Blooming at P.S.122, was featured in Scott Wittman's production JUKEBOX JACKIE, and was a regular on Logo's Jeffrey Cole Casserole. She can be seen as Cathy in the Sex and the City movie and as Shonda in the CBS hit comedy, 2 Broke Girls. Bridget co-wrote and performed an evening of original music called Bridget and Neal are F*cking and Adam is Watching with Medlyn and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock: Beastie Boys). Bridget can be seen in HBO Canada's Funny as Hell alongside Horovitz. and will be releasing an album of original music with her band, The Tender Moments.

ECHOES OF ETTA FEATURING WILLIAM BLAKE

May 23 at 7:30 PM

$30

Back by popular demand, Theatre C is proud to present an encore performance of ECHOES OF ETTA, a Tribute to Etta James featuring William Blake andMichael Thomas Murray. Echoes is an energetic, no holds barred performance that will move you out of your seat. With unparalleled vocal ability and showmanship, William Blake, the Echoes band and gorgeous back-up singers, "The Peaches", excel with stellar musicality led by Michael Thomas Murray's (Musical Director/Arranger/Co-Creator) rockin' authentic period arrangements with a contemporary twist. This combined with one of the greatest songbooks of all time, has been bringing audiences on their feet. Blake delivers palpable life to these long loved classic songs in this musical testimonial to the legend who bridged the gap between Rock n Roll and Rhythm and Blues. Fans can expect to hear many of their favorite Etta James tunes such as, A Sunday Kind of Love, At Last, Good Rockin' Daddy, I'd Rather Go Blind, and Something's Got A Hold On Me just to name a few. If you attended the last sold out Echoes performance at Joe's Pub, you can expect to hear all of your favorite songs plus some new ones! Don't miss this Must-See performance!

FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME

May 20 at 7:30 & 9:30 PM

$22

FLS is a stage show like no other. Five performers take the crowd on a non-stop hip hop improv ride, spinning cues from the audience into instantaneous riffs and fully realized musical numbers. Confirmed line-up includes: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anthony Veneziale, Chris Jackson, Arthur Lewis, Chris Sullivan. Directed by Thomas Kail.

CRISTIN MILIOTI

May 26 at 7:30 PM

$30

Cristin Milioti just concluded her star turn as 'Girl' in the Broadway smash hit musical Once, for which she received a Grammy Award as well as a Tony Nomination for Lead Actress. Milioti's next project is playing opposite Leonardo Dicaprio in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film The Wolf Of Wall Street, due out later this year. She lives in Brooklyn.

TIMES SQUARE

June 1 & June 4 at 9:30 PM

$20

Times Square tells the story of Nicky Marotta, a volatile street kid with dreams of becoming a musician, and Pamela Pearl, the withdrawn daughter of a wealthy City Commissioner. The two forge an unlikely bond, and through the alchemy of rock and roll, turn their lives inside out and recreate themselves as a proto-Riot Grrl punk duo called The Sleeze Sisters. Together, they find friendship, love, and music on the rough-and-tumble streets of pre-Disney Times Square. A new musical based on the cult classic 1980 film of the same name, TIMES SQUARE brings together veteran singer-songwriter Jill Sobule with her longtime collaborator Robin Eaton, Tony-nominated writer Jim Lewis and director Steve Cosson, Artistic Director of the acclaimed theater companyThe Civilians.

TONYA PINKINS: UNPLUGGED

June 3 at 7:30

$20 Advance / $25 Door

The Tony Award winning star of The Wild Party and Caroline or Change speaks her mind in song in this new show. Wicked, Raw, Hilarious and In Your Face. Witness Tonya Pinkins like you've never seen her before.

THE GEORGES

June 9 at 9:30 PM

$22

Part performance, part band, The Georges is an offshoot of OBIE-winning theater company Hoi Polloi (All Hands, Shadows). The Georges is perhaps best described as "avant-garde improv," and features Alec Duffy, composer Steven Leffue, and the fiercest actors in downtown theater, Jason Quarles and Julian Rozzell, Jr. Each show is different, but all are loud.

CHAMPAGNE JERRY

June 7 at 9:30

$12 Advance / $15 Door

Champagne Jerry also known as Neal Medlyn is, by far, the greatest rapper in the world. He likes snacks, books, sexual intercourse, and rhyming. Champagne Jerry was born when Neal Medlyn's friend Max Tannone who had success with a Jay-Z /Radiohead "Jaydiohead" mashup album some years back, wrote and asked if he would want to write raps. It quickly became an all-consuming new project with Neal writing original underground-y contemporary hip hop songs in a style all his own, using the name Champagne Jerry, a nickname Bridget Everett gave him one fateful night when he walked around drinking an entire bottle of champagne. Featuring original songs, created with producer and remix master Max Tannone, among others, this long rumored debut will be the most significant occurrence in all of our lives. Special Guests: Bridget Everett, Kathleen Hanna and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock) and the Champagne Club: Max Tannone, Farris Craddock, Gillian Walsh, Sophia Cleary and more.

WAU WAU SISTERS

June 8 at 9:30 PM

$20

New York's bravest and bawdiest cabaret duo returns to Joe's Pub after 4 years of international touring to serve up a ludicrous night of chaos, burlesque, comedy, and nudity. Straddling (literally) the gap between religious and related, performance art and party, busking and burlesque The Wau Wau Sisters' take audiences on a ride which always teeters on the brink of a divine and demented disaster.

LADY RIZO

June 11 at 9:30 PM

$20

The incomparable "cabaret star" (NY Magazine) Lady Rizo is back for an un-chaperoned evening of song and decadence. You may have seen her here at Joe's Pub with her "glam bottom baring dance troupe the Assettes" (Village Voice), celebrating the billboard top ten in the monthly series Our Hit Parade, or midtown at the gothic Night Hotel co-hosting the weekly transnational lounge Foreign Affairs. But here is your chance to have her all to yourself. Her seamless mix of baudy humor and elegance has been likened to Mae West but its her vocal chops that have garnered recent attention: collaborating with both Yo-Yo Ma & Moby on albums this year, singing selections of the American Songbook in front of the internationally acclaimed 36-piece orchestra The Knights, and at MOMA for a sold out cabaret for the Kirchner Exhibit.

PAM ANN: COCKPIT

June 12, June 13, June 14, June 15, and June 16 at 9:30 PM

$30

Buckle up, bitches! Airhostess Pam Ann - who has toured with Cher and crewed private jets for Elton John - returns to the USA in her raunchiest comedy show yet! In Pam Ann: Cockpit, the gutsy and glamorous, sixties-inspired Pam Ann takes aim at the numerous airline calamities making news today. From the grounding of Boeing 787's Dreamliner to Emirates Airlines' door blowing open at 37,000ft, all the deliciously alarming incidents that are plaguing the world's airline industry are discussed. Pam Ann's first stateside tour in four years comes directly after sellout Australian and European tours that took her to France, Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom. This spring, Pam Ann: Cockpit lands in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, and Miami, with final performances at Joe's Pub in New York City, June 12th - 16th.

PULLING THE PLUG: A DECADE OF NO HOPE

June 14 at 7:00

$20

The twisted minds that brought you DOSE! and HELLO, MY NAME IS BILLY serve up their greatest hits as well as songs fresh from the writing room. JoinBrandy Burre, Dayna Dantzler, Tom Deckman, David Doan, Wes Jetton, Chris Lyons, Robert Maril, Scott McLean, Casey McClellan, and Shanna Sharp along with collaborator Aaron Kliner and the NO HOPE band for a One-Night-Only concert event. Featuring the percussion stylings of Bowen andKenny Phillips on bass. NO HOPE was founded in the fall of 2003 with the darkly comic musical, DOSE! -produced at the East Village's Kraine Theatre. Since, founders Aumiller and Schneider have produced nine evenings of new music at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre: Clusterf*ck I and II, Mischief, Bloom, The Road to Nowhere, Still in Love, Breaking the Habit, Swimming Upstream and Ready For The Change. Their second full length work, Hello, My Name Is Billy, was a Backstage "Critic's Pick" and hailed as a "rocking new musical." It ran for six weeks at the Duplex and The Slipper Room in Spring 2010 and was featured at Le Poisson Rouge in the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival. NO HOPE has produced three additional NYFringe Selections: angel/buddy, Flight, and Over and Over. They are currently at work on their third full-length musical, inspired by Mary Kay LeTourneau. With very special guest Justin Vivian Bond.

MISSI PYLE: I'M SEXY AS HELL

June 15 at 11:30 PM

$25

Hollywood's Missi Pyle returns to Joe's Pub with Sexy As Hell! Come experience one of Hollywood's most exciting, hilarious and unpredictable actress, as she pushes SOME of your boundaries. Missi aims to prove that though funny and with "strong features", Missi is in fact Sexy As Hell. She was just waiting till she turned 40 to show you. This show combines Missi's hilarious, quirky, ornery and sometimes heartfelt original music with music from her 3 bands, The Nice Ladies, Smith and Pyle and The Tumbleweeds for an evening of laughter, tears, booze, stories of love and loss and an intimate look at Missi's most recent slutty summer. Produced by Patrick F. King

JOHN KELLY: REBEL SONGS

June 16, June 30, July 17, and July 14 at 7:30 PM

$20

Visual artist, dancer, actor and downtown cabaret artist John Kelly will be performing Rebel Songs of a Range Queen, including songs by Kurt Weill,Charles Aznavour, The Incredible String Band, Mister Bungle, Jacques Brel, Holcombe Waller and The Shins. In a reprise of his breakthrough concerts last fall at Joe's Pub (interrupted by Hurricane Sandy), Kelly will reprise his concert with a program including new covers of songs by The Good, The Bad, & The Queen, Joanna Newsome, and The Clash. Singing in his 3-octave range, Rebel Songs of a Range Queen will display his versatility as a genre-traipsing and weathered punk altar boy, as the raging, orphaned sage. Benjamin Ickies is the Music Director, and will accompany Kelly on accordion and piano. Each of the 4 concerts will include a guest, including performances by Carol Lipnik and Dudley Saunders. A portion of the proceeds of these concerts will go to the ongoing Hurricane Sandy Relief.

TOO GAY FOR BROOKLYN: AN EVENING OF CABARET WITH JULIE KLAUSNER

June 18 & June 19 at 7:30 PM

$20 Advance / $25 Door

Join Julie Klausner, host of HOW WAS YOUR WEEK, Vulture.com correspondent, and author of I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR BAND, as she sings some goddamn songs in her first-ever cabaret show. Don't expect anything besides complete and utter magic on this very special evening of music and comedic banter. Featuring special guests and musical director Jon Spurney. Julie Klausner (julieklausner.com) is a comedy writer/performer, podcaster, and author. Her podcast, How Was Your Week, was recently called "one of the few essential podcasts" by the New York Times and was named one of the best 10 comedy podcasts of the moment by Rolling Stone and in GQ's Comedy Issue. Currently, Julie works as "Media Ambassador" for Vulture.com, for which she writes frequently, makes weekly videos for the site, and goes on TV on behalf of Vulture to discuss pop culture topics. She wrote a memoir called "I Don't Care About Your Band" and her new book, a YA Novel called "Art Girls Are Easy," comes out May 7 of this year.

TORI SCOTT

June 23 at 9:30 PM

$15

Written by Tori Scott and Adam Hetrick. Musical Direction by Jesse Kissel. Directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn. Belter and bad decision expert Tori Scottreturns to Joe's Pub for another evening of songs and slurred autobiographical stories that drip with wisdom, humor, and possibly some unidentified substances. Heterosexuals who actually read this far may need a primer on who Tori is: as a singer, she's graced the stages of the Duplex, the Laurie Beechman, the Metropolitan Room, and every gay bar on the Eastern Seaboard; as an actress, she's counted to 20 as a singing garbage woman on Sesame Street and dubbed the vocals of a singing hooker on HBO's "Cathouse: The Musical"; as a woman, she strives every day in every way to be a consummate lady and sometimes wonders if she actually still has a liver or not.

NELLIE MCKAY, PHILIPPE QUINT, MICHAEL BACON: DOWNTOWN EXPRESS SOUNDTRACK RELEASE PARTY

June 24 at 9:30 PM

$20

Roc-elle Records releases the soundtrack to 10-time Emmy winner David Grubin's film Downtown Express, starring music talents Philippe Quint and Nellie McKay (Old Hats). The soundtrack is a lively mix of original pop music co-written by Michael Bacon (The Bacon Brothers) and the two stars, performed by McKay and Quint with their onscreen band, and moving classical performances by Quint, a Grammy-nominated violinist. At this release celebration McKay, Quint, and Bacon will perform selections from the soundtrack, and portions of the film will be screened. With performances by up & coming chanteuses Alyson Greenfield (Rock Out With Your Glockenspiel Out) and Mieka Pauley (Starbucks Emerging Artist of the Year).

BROWN GIRLS BURLESQUE

June 29 at 11:30 PM

$25

Brown Girls Burlesque return to Joe's Pub with a brand new show: The Jazz Shake. Featuring the brightest beauties from the burlesque galaxy. Shake off the throes of winter with Chicava HoneyChild, Essence Revealed and Miss Aurora BoobRealis to welcome Miss Viva Las Vegas 2012 - Jeez Louez, Oakland's La Chica Boom and Josephine Belle of Black Hearts Burlesque for the first BGB All-Stars Show!

MARTHA GRAHAM CRACKER CABARET

June 18 & June 19 at 7:30 PM

$20

After a sold out New York City debut at Joe's in January -- a show that the Village Voice deemed one of its 10 Best -- The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret returns with a new show. This balls-to-the-wall drag cabaret is hosted by Martha Graham Cracker, who is, perhaps, the world's tallest and hairiest drag queen. Backed by a four-piece live band, Martha Graham Cracker, hailed as "The Drag Queen King" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, performs new arrangements and mash-ups of songs by artists ranging from Prince and Crowded House to Motley Crue and Nina Simone, and a bit of everything in between. Martha Graham Cracker is played by Dito van Reigersberg, co-founding co-artistic director of Philadelphia's Obie-winning Pig Iron Theatre Company. The character was born in van Reigersberg's East Village kitchen when he was attending the Martha Graham School of Dance. "Witty, silly, bitchy and soulful... when she sings, you are completely rocked." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows and to purchase tickets, or call 212-967-7555 or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office (1 PM to 6 PM) located at 425 Lafayette Street, NYC.

ABOUT JOE'S PUB AT THE PUBLIC: Joe's Pub is one of New York City's most celebrated venues for emerging and legendary performing artists. Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting new artists while providing established artists with a safe, intimate space to develop new work. Joe's Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home. Open seven days a week, dinner and drink service is available during every performance. www.joespub.com

ABOUT THE PUBLIC THEATER AT ASTOR PLACE: Under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. www.publictheater.org



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