Billie Holiday News

Hologram USA Inc.  (HUSA)  and the plant-based medicine oil and confectionary company Swissx announced comedian Andy Dick will be the MC and co-host of Hologram Karaoke Battle, an ongoing feature at the Swissx club inside the Hologram USA Theatre in Los Angeles. Dick will also appear in a television show by the same name, being shot at the events for FilmOn Television Networks.  Swissx gives $1000 prize to the top performer each night as decided by the audience. Hologram Karaoke Battle is happening every Thursday and Friday night, with the debut of Dick's hosting on Friday, November 2. 

Award winning actress Aixa Kendrick and the cast of Layon Gray's critically acclaimed warrior drama Black Sparta will return to the New York stage for two performances only before heading to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the production's regional premiere.

During the inaugural Jazz Philadelphia Summit on Nov. 2 and 3, 2018, regional and national jazz luminaries will gather in Center City Philadelphia to honor the city's deep jazz roots and discuss its future. Musicians, jazz enthusiasts, advocates, funders, and the arts and culture community are gathering at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the University of the Arts for both high-level discussions and hands-on workshops about the art and business of jazz. Sessions will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. RSVP is required, but registration is free and open to all, available through the Jazz Philadelphia website at www.jazzphiladelphia.org.

Tucked away in the newly renovated space behind the 924 Gallery downtown is the new gorgeous Cabaret. The space, formerly a warehouse and then a roller skating rink, is now a beautiful gem. Intimate tables sit close to a stage that hosts stars straight from Broadway. The theatre moved into its new location in April and the result is unbelievable. The Jazz Kitchen designed a menu with cocktails, starters and entrees perfect for any evening. If you haven't been to the new Cabaret yet, what are you waiting for? 

AUDELCO has announced the nominees for their 2018 'Viv' Awards, honoring Black Theatre in New York City.

The Billie Holiday Theatre at RestorationART, in association with Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company, is presenting Colman Domingo's Dot under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon (American Son currently on Broadway starring Kerry Washington, A Raisin in the Sun and August Wilson's Fences) and starring Emmy Award-winning Billie Holiday Theatre alumna Denise Burse ('Black Mirror,' Tyler Perry's 'House of Payne') as Dotty. The production began previews on October 20th, opened on October 25th and will run through November 18th at The Billie Holiday Theatre, 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11216. Scroll down for full coverage of the evening's festivities.

New York Stage and Film has announced that Donja R. Love's soft will be the second installation in their NYC Reading Series at Barnard College, held on Monday, October 29th at 7:00pm at the Glicker-Milstein Theater at The Diana Center. Directed by Awoye Timpo, the cast of soft features Gabriel Diego Hernandez, Galen Ryan Kane, Obie and AUDELCO Award winner Russell G. Jones, Andy Lucien, Joshua E. Nelson, Cristina Pitter, Lortel Award nominee Namir Smallwood, Ryan Jamaal Swain, and James Udom.

After yet another hugely successful year of the much-loved Arts Centre Melbourne Morning Melodies concerts, the 2019 program will dazzle audiences with a stellar line-up of musical theatre, opera, jazz and dance artists. This coming year, the feel-good one hour concerts held each month at Hamer Hall will celebrate our very own Australian performers, including Rhonda Burchmore, Rachael Beck, Michael Cormick and Rohan Browne.

The Apollo Theater is proud to present a special one night only concert featuring the return of hip-hop mega group and Harlem's own The Diplomats, popularly known as Dipset as they reunite to launch a new album. The special event will take place on November 23 at 8 p.m.

Dael Orlandersmith, "an intense poet, writer and intellectual" (Chicago Tribune), brings her newest work, Lady in Denmark, to the Owen Theatre. Reuniting with director Chay Yew (Black n Blue Boys/Broken Men, 2012), Orlandersmith's world premiere production is a reflection on love and adversity starring stage and screen actress Linda Gehringer in a 90-minute solo performance. Helene (Gehringer) is a Danish American woman coping with the death of her husband who finds solace in the hauntingly beautiful music of their favorite singer, Billie Holiday. This is her journey through the couple's time together-from the smoky jazz clubs of post-war Copenhagen to the home they shared in present-day Chicago.Lady in Denmark is one of five world premieres this season, all originally developed as a part of the Goodman's New Stages Festival.

On Dec. 9, the Apollo Theater will celebrate 30 years of the ground-breaking New Jack Swing sound and will welcome home Harlem natives Teddy Riley and Keith Sweat for The Kings and Queens of New Jack Swing. This special evening will mark their first time performing at the legendary Apollo in over 20 years. Riley and Sweat will be joined by pioneers of the sound, including, Guy, Blackstreet, Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe Dee and more to be announced.  More than a concert, The Kings and Queens of New Jack Swing underscores The Apollo's commitment to celebrating the contributions of African American artists and the Theater's role in the American and global musical landscape.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce final casting for the 30th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS along with The Songwriters Showcase and Midday Cabarets. The FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS takes place on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26, 2018 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Festival events kick off on Monday, October 22 with Thank You, 30! a gala event to celebrate the 30th Annual Festival.

The Apollo Theater and SiriusXM announced today that they will present Say It Loud…With Your VOTE!, a bi-partisan political special at the Apollo on Thursday, November 1 at 7:00 pm.  The exclusive event, produced in association with SiriusXM, is part of the Apollo Theater Uptown Hall series and will air across multiple SiriusXM channels debuting on November 2.    

Pulitzer Prize Finalist Dael Orlandersmith highlights the universal languages of love and music in Lady in Denmark, kicks off the 2018/2019 season in the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre. Chay Yew, who also helmed the play's 2016 New Stages Festival staged reading, directs Linda Gehringer as Helene-a Danish American woman coping with the death of her husband who finds solace in the hauntingly beautiful music of their favorite singer, Billie Holiday. Orlandersmith's newest play is Helene's journey through the couple's time together-from the smoky jazz clubs of post-war Copenhagen to the home they shared in present-day Andersonville, Chicago. The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (set), Christine Pascual (costumes), Lee Fiskness (lighting) and Mikhail Fiksel (original music and sound). Donald E. Claxon is the production stage manager. Lady in Denmark appears October 19 - November 18, 2018 (opening night is October 29 at 7pm) in the Goodman's Owen Theatre (170 N. Dearborn); tickets ($15-45; subject to change), by telephone 312.443.3800 or online GoodmanTheatre.org/LadyInDenmark.

In the two years since the release of its best-selling compilation album The Essentials, Postmodern Jukebox has grown from a viral sensation to a worldwide phenomenon. Founder and mastermind Scott Bradlee has taken his offbeat vision of gramophone music for a smartphone world and transformed it into a throwback empire, with celebrity guests alongside world class vocal talent, ambitiously eccentric surprises alongside meticulously crafted arrangements, and a touring show that has thrilled music lovers of all generations across six continents.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces the return of the legendary Art Garfunkel, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Macy Gray, Grammy-nominated artist Anita Wilson, and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Thursday, October 18 at noon.All tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

The Muse Project, in association with The Tank, presents Musings: a collection of Mini Muse presentations at The Flea Theater as a part of their Anchor Partnership. Musings runs from Monday, October 15th - Sunday October, 21st at The Flea's new home at 20 Thomas Street in Tribeca.

The Playwrights' Arena's world premiere of playwright Donald Jolly's BABY EYES presents a volatile, in-your-face telling of Gio, a diminutive teenage boy surviving bullies and homophobia in 1950's Baltimore. Jon Lawrence Rivera expertly directs his talented cast at a fast, smooth pace. Rudy Martinez totally inhabits the pivotal role of the elfin Gio who spends his days at school running from a gang of bullies and his evenings avoiding his demanding racist father Sal (a commanding Ted Monte).

If necessity is the mother of invention, that scrappy lineage certainly continued with Rosemary Clooney, Barbara Cook, and Julie Wilson.