Laura Benanti and Nicholas Rodriguez Join 2014 Orlando Cabaret Festival at Mad Cow Theatre, 4/24-5/11

By: Mar. 18, 2014
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MAD COW THEATRE announces the headliners for the The Twelfth Annual Orlando Cabaret Festival, Orlando's Home of the Great American Songbook. The Festival features cabaret artists and acts from Central Florida and beyond. The Orlando Cabaret Festival runs from April 24 - May 11, 2014 at Mad Cow Theatre, 54 West Church Street (Second Floor) in Downtown Orlando. Tickets can be purchased through the Mad Cow Box Office at407.297.8788 or on-line at orlandocabaret.com.

Joining the previously announced headliner Christiane Noll (April 25-26) are Nicholas Rodriguez (May 1-3) and Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti (May 9-10).

Nicholas Rodriguez - The First Time... with Nicholas Rodriguez - May 1-3. All shows begin at 8:30pm in The Harriett Theatre. Tickets go on sale to the public Thursday, March 20, 2014.

Award winning actor and vocalist Nicholas Rodriguez explores life, love and loss through an intimate evening featuring new interpretations of songs from the world of pop, jazz, folk and musical theater. You always remember your first time...

Nicholas is best known for the role of Nick Chavez on ABC's One Life to Live, for which he received the 2009 GLAAD Media Award and the 2009 Visibility Award. On the big screen, Rodriguez was seen in Sex and the City 2. He is also featured on the film's soundtrack.

Nicholas made his Broadway debut in Disney's production of Tarzan. Prior to that, Nicholas originated the role of "Aaron," starring opposite Val Kilmer's "Moses" in the U.S Premiere of The Ten Commandments at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Off-Broadway he starred in The Toxic Avenger: The Musical, Almost Heaven: Songs of John Denver, Colette Collage, and Bajour. He's also traveled the world on tours of Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and Hair.

Nicholas's regional credits include: The Light in the Piazza, Oklahoma!, Damn Yankees, South Pacific, The King & I with Lou Diamond Phillips, Nefertiti, Cinderella, The Last 5 Years, Candide with Harrisburg Opera, Love, Valour, Compassion!, and Master Class.

Nicholas just completed a run opposite Kathleen Turner in Mother Courage and Her Children at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. There he recently played Freddy in My Fair Lady and was also seen as Curly in Oklahoma! for which he received a 2011 Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor in a Musical and was named Top 10 Performers of 2010 by Hilton Als of The New Yorker.

When not on stage, Nicholas is the Artistic Director of the Broadway Dreams Foundation faculty, which recently hosted a workshop in Orlando at Trinity Rep in February of 2014.

Laura Benanti - In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention - May 9-10. Both shows at 8:30pm in The Harriett Theatre. Tickets go on sale to the public March 20, 2014.

Tony Award-winning Broadway and TV star Laura Benanti will perform her show In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention. Based on her debut CD, recorded live in concert at the New York nightclub 54 Below and released by Broadway Records, it features not only her favorite theater numbers, new versions of contemporary hits and original songs, but also personal anecdotes and revealing stories about her life and career. The CD was recently a USA Today Playlist "Pick of the Week" and called "a must-have" by TV Guide. When the concert evening first opened in New York, Laura was praised for her "funny zingers," "hilarious mugging" and "bright, full soprano" by the New York Times and her "pristine vocals" from theNew York Daily News. Upon its debut in the nation's capital, her show was hailed as "a smart, funny, tuneful evening" by The Washington Post. Laura's own compositions - such as The Ukulele Song, on which she accompanies herself on the titular instrument - showcase her humor, musicianship and deft songwriting skills. A haunting medley of Ellie Goulding's Starry Eyed and Lana Del Ray's Video Games, called "sultry" and "infectious catchy" by the New York Daily News, brings out subtle new colors in her voice. She reprises songs from two of her most celebrated Broadway roles: the sensuous Unusual Wayfrom Nine and the zany Model Behavior from her show-stopping Tony Award-nominated turn in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. In addition, Laura highlights a trio of new selections from an upcoming musical from Todd Almond, also the album's Music Director and arranger.

All performances play the Mad Cow Theatre, 54 West Church Street (Second Floor), Orlando, FL 32801. For Headliners tickets are $35.00 - $65.00. VIP Premium seats are available for Headliner performance and include seats front and center and one beverage per person. For complete ticketing information visit orlandocabaret.com.

Mad Cow Theatre is Downtown Orlando's professional theatre company presenting compelling works of theatre for a wide-range of audiences, with a passion for both classic and contemporary plays and musicals representing the best of American and World literature. Founded in 1997, Mad Cow has produced over 120 works of theatre to an ever-widening audience-promoting, enhancing and celebrating the human condition through art.

Photo Credit (side): Walter McBride



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