Ben Bennett

The winners have been chosen, the EP has been recorded, and the next contest winners have been chosen... but there's some unfinished business: the concert! Last night was the night and it was a night to remember.

This week, FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

Next month, FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

Gerard Canonico (Be More Chill), Jessie Hooker-Bailey (Waitress), Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin, In the Heights), Andrew Kober (She Loves Me, Hair), Shereen Pimentel (West Side Story), Presley Ryan (Beetlejuice), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Carrie St. Louis (Wicked), and Dani Wade (Mean Girls) join the cast also featuring Louderman, Hannah Kloepfer, Matt Copley, and Stephen Coakley. 

FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club, will present “WRITE OUT LOUD: From Contest to Concert VOLUME 2.” Hosted by Taylor Louderman (Tony Nominee, Mean Girls), Musical Direction by Benjamin Rauhala (Disney Princess - The Concert) and produced by Hannah Kloepfer with Sarah Glugatch and Josh Collopy.

Brooklyn performance and civic space JACK announces concerts in unusual spaces by acclaimed experimental composer and musician Lea Bertucci. The first, on July 31, involves an afternoon of concerts on the handball courts at Riis Park Beach. The second, on August 14, is a performance in the DUMBO Archway underneath the Manhattan Bridge.

The WRITE OUT LOUD team will present a VIRTUAL JAM, celebrating the 2020 contest winners and finalists, hosted by Taylor Louderman on Friday, June 26th at 6PM EST.

The new musical from Australian duo Ben Bennett (Music, Lyrics and Book) and Ashleigh Taylor (book), THE LIFE OF US, has had its world premiere in Sydney.

To kick off Hayes Theatre Co's 2020 season, 100 Coffees Productions and Neil Gooding Productions are thrilled to announce the World Premiere of the new musical, The Life of Us. Directed by Neil Gooding, this modern-day musical written by Ashleigh Taylor, composed and written by Ben Bennett and mentored by the legendary Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell), is being performed at Hayes Theatre Co from 16 January 2020. 

A World in Trance, now in its fifth edition, has been host to some of the world's most captivating music, bringing people together in search of enlightenment and spirituality. This year's festival continues with the intoxicating sounds of Bachir Attar and Mustapha Attar of the legendary Master Musicians of Jajouka in a riveting meeting with American musicians Ned Rothenberg, Arrington de Dionyso and Ben Bennett. Inspired by the electrifying sounds of the Master Musicians, this ensemble of musicians from both sides of the Atlantic – Morocco and the US - explore the potential for sound to trigger a state of ecstasy.

A World in Trance, now in its fifth edition, has been host to some of the world's most captivating music, bringing people together in search of enlightenment and spirituality. This year's festival features virtuoso guitarist Derek Gripper, who masterfully interprets the hypnotic sounds of the West African kora (21-string harp-lute) on solo guitar (Mar 23); the intoxicating sounds of Bachir Attar and Mustapha Attar of the Master Musicians of Jajouka in a riveting meeting with American musicians Ned Rothenberg, Arrington de Dionysio and Ben Bennett (Mar 30); the classical music of India with Jayanthi Kumaresh, one of the world's leading veena (lute) players, accompanied by percussionists Jayachandra Rao and Pramath Kiran (Apr 12); and ecstatic interpretations of Sufi qawwaliwith Pakistan's Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers (Apr 13).

A World in Trance, now in its fifth edition, has been host to some of the world's most captivating music, bringing people together in search of enlightenment and spirituality. This year's festival features virtuoso guitarist Derek Gripper, who masterfully interprets the hypnotic sounds of the West African kora (21-string harp-lute) on solo guitar (Mar 23); the intoxicating sounds of Bachir Attar and Mustapha Attar of the Master Musicians of Jajouka in a riveting meeting with American musicians Ned Rothenberg, Arrington de Dionysio and Ben Bennett (Mar 30); the classical music of India with Jayanthi Kumaresh, one of the world's leading veena (lute) players, accompanied by percussionists K U Jayachandra Rao and Pramath Kira (Apr 12); and ecstatic interpretations of Sufi qawwali with Pakistan's Hamza Akram Qawwal & Brothers (Apr 13).

Although American Idiot is classified as a musical, it would be better classified as a very politically-powerful rock opera. From the head banging to the electric guitars and booming bass, the audience were enrolled as spectators in a rock arena. Although quite disjointed, the piece features music composed by the punk-rock band Green Day, with the score including each song from the album of the same name, as well as additional songs from their album 21st Century. American Idiot follows the story of three alienated childhood friends Johnny (Linden Furnell), Tunny (Connor Crawford) and Will (Alex Jeans) as they navigate their way to find meaning, purpose and colour in a Trumpian suburbia. Whilst Will stays at home to fix his rapport with his pregnant girlfriend Heather (Ashleigh Taylor), Tunny and Johnny flee a stifling suburban lifestyle and parental restrictions; however, as always, things don't always turn out as they seem. Tunny ends up joining the military and although he starts a relationship, it quickly turns to dust after Johnny turns to drugs, discovering a darker part of himself.

It was not that long ago, and a time not unlike that which we live in now, that Green Day released the album American Idiot that narrated a story of the world's greatest nation's underbelly that many sought out through the punk movement to ease the social and political tensions at the turn of the millennium. Now Trump replaces Bush, Parkville replaces Columbine, climate change replaces global warming, South Korea replaces Afghanistan. American Idiot showed the world from the perspective of the middle class white male before we used words like privilege, proto-feminism and appropriation in the way and as frequently as we do today. He was frustrated, compelled to patriotism (or nationalism depending on your circumstances), seeking escape, modelling a tough exterior through whatever styling, attitude and substance would credit it. All the while advances in technology pummel the world's youth with information that elevates and isolates the individual. Such is the environment we are transported into in the musical adaptation of that album so many millennial adolescents leaned on.

Here comes the bride! Muriel's Wedding The Musical original cast recording is out now through Sony Music Entertainment Australia.

MURIEL'S WEDDING THE MUSICAL, the much anticipated musical theatre adaptation of PJ Hogan's iconic movie from 1994, is absolutely wonderful, capturing the heart and soul of its inspiration with an added depth and incredible new music by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall.

The Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures' production of Muriel's Wedding The Musical opens this weekend in Sydney. See photos from the exciting new production below!

The cast of Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures' production of Muriel's Wedding The Musical will begin rehearsals today, Monday 25 September, in Sydney.

Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures announced today that legendary Australian actor Gary Sweet will play the role of Muriel's father Bill Heslop in the world premiere of Muriel's Wedding The Musical.

In about a month, from Fri., Sept. 15 through Tues. Sept. 19, it will be time to celebrate Boog's 26th anniversary with the 11th annual Welcome to Boog City poetry, music, theater, and film festival. It will feature 46 poets, 17 musical acts, 8 poets theater plays, 2 poets in conversation with one another, 1 d.a. levy lives visiting press, 1 panel, and 60 minutes of film screenings over the five days.