Aretha Franklin News

The soulful songs and glamorous nightlife of the 1950s will swing once more when CabaretFest returns to Provincetown May 31 to June 3. Twenty-eight cabaret entertainers from Boston, New York City, Florida and Palm Springs, will participate in ten live shows, a Q&A luncheon panel session, two performance workshops, two Marilyn Maye Master Classes, and enjoy parties and networking along with VIP pass holders. The VIP pass includes entry to all the live shows, opportunities to monitor workshops and invitations to private parties. Festival Producer Patricia Fitzpatrick sums it up like this: 'Where else can you walk a few yards, see and hear so many of the nation's top cabaret performers in one place? Only in Provincetown. Provincetown is like Broadway with sand.'

Sit down for a thirty minute meeting with legendary hit maker, Clive Davis. You'll have the opportunity to get advice on three music demos, either for songwriting or performance, in Mr. Davis' private Flatiron office in New York City.

The Klezmatics, known for their unique blend of melodic mysticism and improvisational activism, return to The Broad Stage to turn their music inside out on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30pm. Performing alongside the "Prince of Kosher Gospel," Joshua Nelson, this evening will expose the complexity of Jewish identity, Black identity and human identity.

When she rose to fame on Season 6 of 'American Idol,' LaKisha Jones, who bears a vocal and physical resemblance to Aretha Franklin, blew away judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson with Aretha's 'Think' and 'Until You Come Back to Me.' Ms. Jones is ready to reclaim center stage with an unbelievable evening celebrating the great ladies of song: Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner and the one and only Whitney Houston when she belts out the hits in To Whitney, With Love Saturday, April 7th at 8pm at The Ridgefield Playhouse, part of Northeast Builders of Ridgefield Emerging Artist Series and Pepsi Rock Series Powered by Xfinity.

Actor/singer Corey Feldman, who began his career at the age of three and has appeared in more than 80 films, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the third annual Young Entertainer Awards on Sunday, April 15, 2018.

Actor/singer Corey Feldman, who began his career at the age of three and has appeared in more than 80 films, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the third annual Young Entertainer Awards on Sunday, April 15, 2018.

Evoking the rhythms, passion, and pulsating energy of Cuba, our vibrant neighbor to the south, the Annenberg Center's three-week Cuba Festival, March 22-April 13, presents the country's hottest emerging stars and revered and beloved icons, showcasing the rich artistic talent of Cuba through music and dance.

Billboard Chart Topping Soul Singer-Songwriter-Actor and Los Angeles Native Phillip Brandon to open for 10-time Grammy(R) Award Winning THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, March 9 at 8 p.m. Celebrating their 45th anniversary in 2017, The Manhattan Transfer continues to set the standard as one of the worlds greatest and most innovative vocal groups.

Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and five-time Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald will play The VETS in Providence on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 7:00pm. Tickets, $69.50 - $49.50, are on sale now and can be purchased online at TheVetsRI.com, by calling (401) 421.ARTS (2787) or in person at The VETS/PPAC Box Office located at 220 Weybosset St., Providence. Box Office hours are Monday - Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday 10am-2pm. The VETS is located at One Avenue of the Arts, Providence. The VETS on-site Box Office is only open on show days. VIP Packages are available.

On Saturday, February 24, Shoshana Bean performed her album release show - Spectrum - at Ace Theater Downtown Los Angeles. Spectrum, Bean's fourth studio album which was released on February 9, is a fresh new take on the classic tradition of big band with arrangements by Grammy award-nominated arranger Alan Ferber.

Worcester will learn a thing or two when Sister returns to teach her Late Nite Catechism at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts on Thursday, June 14 at 8 p.m. Tickets are now on sale to theatre members and go on sale to the general public Tuesday, March 6 at 10 a.m.

Broadway fave and former Elphaba, Shoshana Bean, has just dropped her cover of the Oscar-nominated anthem, This Is Me, from the musical The Greatest Showman. All proceeds of the song will go to benefit the LA LGBT Center. You can find the song on Spotify and other music streaming platforms. 

Legendary singer Johnny Mathis, celebrating his 62nd year as a recording artist, will perform his greatest hits and personal favorites in The Voice of Romance Tour at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts on Saturday, June 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale to theatre members on Thursday, March 1 at 10 a.m. and go on sale to the general public Friday, March 2 at 10 a.m.

The Marsh San Francisco adds three free performances of Brian Copeland's The Waiting Period, due to ongoing support from a GoFundMe campaign. This deeply moving and surprisingly funny work outlines Copeland's own struggles with depression and suicidal thought, and is presented at no cost to remove all barriers for those who may be struggling with depression themselves. Featuring humorous, poignant, and riveting insights, the solo show written by Copeland and directed by David Ford, will take place 5:30pm Sundays March 25 - April 29, 2018 (see exact schedule below), at The Marsh San Francisco, 1062 Valencia Street. General admission for this performance is free, although reservations ($55-$100), are recommended. To reserve tickets or for more information, the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 Monday through Friday between 1:00pm and 4:00pm.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts announces three more critically-acclaimed acts to its 2018 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). They are Toshi Reagon -- a talented singer, composer, and producer with roots in folk, blues and rock; Nobuntu - an all-female a capella group from Zimbabwe; and Inventive Mothers: A Tribute to Frank Zappa performed by Studio Dan from Austria. Each will enhance the stellar lineup of artists already planned for PIFA 2018. The 11-day festival is packed with more than 50 performances ranging from music and dance to 360-degree immersive spectacle experiences, and will attract regional visitors to Philadelphia from Thursday, May 31 through Sunday, June 10.

Broadway Dance Lab (BDL), a non-profit choreography incubator supporting new works of dance-driven theatre, has announced that former New York City Ballet principal dancer, and Tony Award nominee, Robert Fairchild, will join Loni Landon and Ray Mercer as guest choreographers for the company's Spring 2018 Cycle. The Lab is set to begin on Feb. 26, and will culminate with a Gala performance on April 2 at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

The biographical musical Soul Doctor tells the incredible story of real-life 'singing rabbi' Shlomo Carlebach and his unlikely friendship with Nina Simone, the high priestess of soul. Together their music became an important voice of social change.   A smash hit off Broadway, this spirited San Diego production begins Tuesday, April 3 and will run for three weeks only at the Lyceum Theatre in downtown San Diego, the first stop on a major tour which heads to the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles, May 3- 13 and then to the Hirsch Theater in Jerusalem.

On Saturday, February 24, Shoshana Bean will perform her album release show - Spectrum - at Ace Theater Downtown Los Angeles. Spectrum, Bean's fourth studio album which will be released on February 9, is a fresh new take on the classic tradition of big band with arrangements by Grammy award-nominated arranger Alan Ferber. This concert will feature Bean along with an 18 piece big band performing a carefully-selected collection of standards, classics and modern favorites, while still including a few Bean-penned gems. Bean made her Broadway debut in the original cast of Hairspray before taking over for Idina Menzel as Elphaba in Wicked and has performed all over the world with artists such as Ariana Grande, Brian McKnight, Postmodern Jukebox (PMJ), David Foster and Michael Jackson.

NEIL BERG'S 50 YEARS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL at Rockland Community College

Prepare to be beamed up for an unforgettable evening with William Shatner, live on stage at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. Audiences will enjoy a screening of the classic film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on the big screen, followed by a live conversation with the original Captain James T. Kirk. Tickets are on sale now for theatre members and go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 23 at 10 a.m.