Billie Holiday News

Casting is set for Studio Theatre's production of Pipeline, playwright Dominique Morisseau's searing drama about the school-to-prison pipeline and a mother desperately trying to keep her son from becoming ensnared in it. The production runs January 15-February 16, 2020 and is directed by Awoye Timpo. Starring are DC theatre favorite Justin Weaks (Studio's Curve of Departure) as high school student Omari and Andrea Harris Smith making her Studio debut as his mother, public school teacher Nya. In its recent People Issue, Washington City Paper's called Weaks a 'standout,' going on to say: 'D.C. theater audiences love Justin Weaks. ...Weaks came to D.C. for a job about four years ago, not expecting to stay. But he kept getting cast in shows, and lucky for local theatergoers, he's still here.'

Vevo announces the release of Cold War Kids' live performances of “Complainer” and “Beyond The Pale.” As they grew from quirky mid-2000s blog darlings into a rock band with a polished yet passionate sound, Cold War Kids' music spanned influences as diverse as Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, Nick Cave, and U2. The group's shifting lineup reflected their evolving sound over the years, from the stomping blues-punk of 2006's debut Robbers & Cowards to the slick alt-rock of 2011's Mine Is Yours. Cold War Kids grew more anthemic, and more popular, as time went on: 2017's L.A. Divine, which celebrated the mythos of their adopted hometown as well as the power of sweeping rock, made the Top 10 of Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart.

Today Norfolk & Norwich Festival has announced new acts for its 2020 line up. John Grant will play Great Yarmouth Hippodrome on Friday 8 May; Kandace Springs will play St Andrew's Hall on Tuesday 12 May and Frozen Light will perform at The Garage on Tuesday 12 - Saturday 16 May.

'What could be better than a play that asks you to shout? Well, one that asks you to sing. All this fun is part of an updated version of 'The Brave Little Tailor...' My son also thought of another reason that Seven in One Blow is the greatest play ever: the actors pass out candy at the end.'-The New York Times

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, announces world-renowned violinist Damien Escobar, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, three-time Grammy winner Taj Mahal, and more. The following shows go on sale to the public on Friday, December 6 at noon. Tickets will be available at citywinery.com/chicago.

WNYC and the Apollo Theater will present WNYC's 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration, 'The Strategic King: MLK's Visionary Leadership,' as part of the Apollo's Uptown Hall series, on Sunday, January 12 at 3pm.

The year may be winding down, but Queens Theatre is just getting started with a trio of Queens debuts, two Family Series shows based on beloved children's books and the launch production of a family comedy that was a hit with our Reading Series audiences.

The year may be winding down, but Queens Theatre is just getting started with a trio of Queens debuts, two Family Series shows based on beloved children's books and the launch production of a family comedy that was a hit with our Reading Series audiences.

Urban Stages Frances Hill, Artistic Director and Antoinette Mullins Literary Manager announce selections for the December play readings.

Actor / comedian Rhonda 'Passion' Hansome, (SiriusXM 'John Fugelsang's Tell Me Everythinga??) will join actor/producer/vocalist Rome Neal for a night of jazz and jokes at his next a?oeBanana Pudding Jazz Jama?? scheduled for Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Manhattan.

The Arsht Center (@arshtcenter) and Kindred Arts (@Kindred_Arts) are collaborating to bring sculptures by Hank Willis Thomas to two public outdoor spaces in Miami's urban core. Beginning in December 2019, Thomas' iconic a?oeAll Power to All Peoplea?? will be on view, simultaneously, to the public at the Arsht Center's outdoor Thomson Plaza and in neighboring historic Overtown.

This Month, 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.

The Watermill Theatre has announced the casting for the London transfer to Wilton's Music Hall of its highly acclaimed productions of Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream. The Watermill Ensemble's productions will run from late January to mid-February 2020 and come hot on the heels of their successful Autumn tour of the UK. The run follows the company's production of Twelfth Night which was staged at Wilton's in 2018. It also marks the third London transfer by the Newbury theatre in two months, with Amélie The Musical opening at The Other Palace on November 29th and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain opening at Jermyn Street Theatre on December 4th.

Following her acclaimed sold-out season in London's West End, Bernadette Robinson returns to Australia for a limited engagement in the hit play SONGS FOR NOBODIES.

Manhattan mainstay Daryl Sherman returns to Birdland Theater with Satchmo the Singer on Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 & 9:45 pm, focusing on jazz trumpet icon Louis Armstrong as a singer as well as his importance to the American Songbook. Armstrong crossed over and went outside the box with songs from Broadway, film and pop, in addition to his stale repertoire of jazz standards. Known the world over as 'Satchmo,' his unique gravelly sound and phrasing influenced singers from Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra and myriad others.Inspired by the blues and swing, some of Armstrong's best known vocals were 'A Kiss To Build A Dream On,' 'Chim Chim Cheree,' 'La Vie en Rose' and 'Hello Dolly.' Sherman will be joined in her exploration of Satchmo by multi reed stylist Scott Robinson and bassist Boots Maleson.

With a globetrotting 20-year career renowned for being a voice for the people across four decades of political and societal upheaval from the late '90s to today, Antibalas celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a stark return to their Williamsburg roots on its latest Daptone Records studio album, Fu Chronicles (Release Date: February 7, 2020). Pre-gentrified Williamsburg serves as the backdrop for Fu Chronicles -- voyaging back to the early days of when Antibalas and revered soul label Daptone Records spawned out of lead singer Duke Amayo's kung fu dojo. A senior master of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School of martial arts, Duke Amayo along with Antibalas founder/baritone saxophonist Martín Perna guide listeners through an epic journey of where kung fu ingeniously intersects with Afrobeat on Fu Chronicles.

The Billie Holiday Project evokes the electric and intimate feeling of experiencing Lady Day live in a 1930s Jazz Club. Drawing from some of Billie's most recorded tunes, such as Blue Moon, Billie's Blues, God Bless the Child, and Strange Fruit, to name but a few, the band also revives some of the earlier and lesser-known tunes that Billie interpreted.

NBC has announced 40 world-renowned, superstar acts who will compete on the second season of “America's Got Talent: The Champions,” premiering Monday, Jan. 6 from 8-10 p.m. ET/PT.

Grammy honored JC Hopkins and his Biggish Band will be playing musical host at the legendary Minton's Playhouse for ringing in the New Year and no better place to do it than at the birthplace of bebop. The Biggish Band has backed a number of musical legends in its time including Norah Jones, Elvis Costello, Tony Bennett, Jazzmeia Horn and Jon Hendricks to name a few.

During Lisa Viggiano's critically-praised 2018 Bruce Springsteen Tribute Shows (which helped earn her a 2019 Bistro Award for “Outstanding Vocalist”), she included a section of songs by iconic musicians and singers discovered over five decades by talent scout/record producer John Henry Hammond, who also championed Springsteen and recorded “The Boss's” first demo. Now, like a spinoff from a hit TV sitcom, Viggiano has created an entire cabaret show featuring songs and performers produced by Hammond during his long career at Columbia Records. In FROM LADY DAY TO THE BOSS: 50 YEARS OF TALENT DISCOVERED BY LEGENDARY COLUMBIA RECORD PRODUCER JOHN HENRY HAMMOND, Viggiano will deliver her unique renditions of classic tunes recorded by Bessie Smith, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Harry James, Count Basie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen, George Benson, and Springsteen.