Bessie Smith News

Bay Area vocalist, Denise Perrier, will bring her acclaimed one-woman show, Bessie, Dinah and Me... to Feinstein's at the Nikko for one performance only - tonight, July 16 at 8 p.m.

On July 5, Carole J. Bufford erupted onto the stage at Birdland for her first Sunday evening as hostess of the club's weekly Jazz Party (which had been helmed most recently by Natalie Douglas and Jane Monheit). The formidable vocalist, glamorous in clingy red, was aided and abetted by a top-notch (also well dressed—Bravo!) quartet featuring Joel Frahm on sax, Ray Marchia on drums, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Musical Director Ian Herman on piano. Special guests for Bufford's inaugural session were Janelle Velasquez and Lianne Marie Dobbs. With Bufford's audacious performance, smart choices, and attention to detail, Sundays promise to be a great deal more fun in midtown Manhattan.

Banks Brothers Productions will be presenting the satirical musical 'They Don't Want to Hear Hattie Sing!' a timely production using Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Academy Award, as the main character. Set dually in 1939 and 2009, the musical will explore old and new stereotypes of Blacks in the media by focusing on some of the most polarizing African American Actors in history such as Sleep N Eat, Steppin' Fetchit, Butterfly McQueen and Buckwheat Thomas.

Queen Latifah is Bessie Smith!

The Pasadena Playhouse announced today full casting for A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN.  Conceived, written and directed by Randy Johnson, with choreography by Patricia Wilcox and musical direction by Tyler Evans.  A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN stars Mary Bridget Davies, following her Tony Award nominated Broadway run.  Pasadena native Kacee Clanton, also from the Broadway production of A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN, will alternate the role of Janis Joplin with Davies.  

Sold out shows, nationwide tours, big screen hits and the thrill of a hip hop audience eager to watch Mike Epps own the stage has him ready to bring his new tour, The Real Deal tour, coming to the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 24 at 8pm.

The Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Texas, is offering Trav'lin - the 1930s Harlem Musical as its season finale, Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris has announced. Official opening is June 25, 2015 with performances from tonight,  June 20 through July 26. The new staging follows a sold-out run of the show at the 2010 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) and a successful 2013 production at the Jubilee Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 1983 an abandoned movie house was saved from the wrecking ball, and on November 3, what has become the cornerstone of arts and entertainment in Clarksville-Montgomery County opened to a grand ovation.  Now in 2015, the Roxy Regional Theatre is poised to celebrate 33 years of providing an educational and artistic outlet for the Southeast, beginning with the first production of their 33rd year: Lionel Bart's Oliver!

In 1983 an abandoned movie house was saved from the wrecking ball, and on November 3, what has become the cornerstone of arts and entertainment in Clarksville-Montgomery County opened to a grand ovation. Through grit, determination and support from likeminded individuals, the Roxy Regional Theatre is now poised to celebrate 33 years of providing an educational and artistic outlet for the Southeast.

Bay Area vocalist, Denise Perrier, will bring her acclaimed one-woman show, Bessie, Dinah and Me... to Feinstein's at the Nikko for one performance only - Thursday, July 16 at 8 p.m. Backed by the Tammy Hall Quartet, Perrier will perform a night of soulful standards from the sultry, heartfelt blues and ballads of Bessie Smith and Dinah Washington, as well as songs from the contemporary American Songbook. Tickets for Denise Perrier range in price from $25-$40 and are available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the longest operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, proudly presents a wide range of events in the 2015-2016 Season.

Summer is coming and luckily for you, here in Houston there is no shortage of nice, air-conditioned theaters for you to choose from. With so many choices it can be a daunting task, so let the BWW Houston editors give you their picks for the upcoming summer season.

Queen Latifah is Bessie Smith!

Queen Latifah is Bessie Smith!

?HBO has confirmed the debut date for BESSIE, with the HBO Films presentation scheduled to debut SATURDAY, MAY 16 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.

Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago") stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama BESSIE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees ("Pariah") from a screenplay by Dee Rees and Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois.

?Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago") stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama BESSIE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees ("Pariah") from a screenplay by Dee Rees and Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois.

Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago") stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama BESSIE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees ("Pariah") from a screenplay by Dee Rees and Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois.

Penguin Rep Theatre's 2015 season officially begins tonight, May 15, 2015, with the New York premiere of Small World by Frederick Stroppel, directed by artistic director Joe Brancato.

Queen Latifah sings the blude in her new film BESSIE. The multi-talented actress and singer, who produced and stars in the new HBO film, stopped by ABC's Good Morning America to talk about the film.