Cole Porter News

In 1969, at age 16, Bronx-born Karen Wyman became a singing sensation appearing on TV with Dean Martin, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Tonight Show, and cutting two albums. A few years later she suddenly quit singing professionally to raise a family. Now, she's back and as she proved with her new show at the Metropolitan Room, she's as good as ever.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond, including Jennifer Holliday, Chita Rivera, Jeff Daniels, Steve Kazee, After Midnight Swings the Holiday and more. Details below!

Lawrence Leritz will chat about his career and upcoming theatre projects for 2014 at 10;48 am on Spotlite Radio, December 23, 2013. Leritz recently choreographed 'A Broadway Holiday Concert 2013' for Huntington Disease NY, choreographing songs by Cole Porter and original cast members from Broadway's Grease. Audiences will recognize Lawrence Leritz from his recent film roles in The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon and in Julie Taymor's musical Across The Universe. Lawrence made his film debut in 'Easy Money' opposite Rodney Dangerfield. Television includes 2013 Emmy Winner, Night Of Too Many Stars, performing in 'Call Me Maybe' with Carly Rae Jepsen and Harvey Keitel on Comedy Central. Other appearances include the Saturday Night Live, All My Children and the Michael J Fox Show. Lawrence is also the star of the best selling exercise DVD, Total Stretch!

Our intrepid cabaret columnist/reviewer Stephen Hanks catches up on some reviews of fall 2013 shows, including Mary Foster Conklin's BroadwayWorld.com Award nominated tribute to Fran Landesman, solo shows from Bernard Dotson, Gary Crawford, and Lauren Glazer, and a duo show from Alison Nusbaum and Jackie Kristel.

Award-winning musical theater superstar, Patti LuPone, who has portrayed some of Broadway's most memorable roles, returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts for a special one-night-only performance of her latest concert, Far Away Places on Saturday, March 22 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Oakland, CA, December 19, 2013 - The Oakland East Bay Symphony and Music Director/Conductor Michael Morgan will continue their 25th anniversary season with a concert featuring the world premiere of Bay Area composer-pianist-vocalist Mary Fineman's song cycle, It's About Love, featuring guest vocalist Wesla Whitfield, and the Symphony's Young Artist Competition winner Matthew Linaman performing Bloch's Schelomo Friday, February 21, 2014

Never "Too Much of a Good Thing," The Alden in McLean has declared January 2014 "Shakespeare Month" and has pulled together a month-long celebration of the Bard which will include films, a discussion with local experts and two performances by the acclaimed American Shakespeare Center on Tour. Prices vary and some events are free. The Alden is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue, inside the McLean Community Center.

Today, we are spotlighting the absolute must-haves for the Broadway baby on Santa's shopping list - all of the very best theatre-related music, movies, events and more - well, at least sixteen or seventeen of them…

Never "Too Much of a Good Thing," The Alden in McLean has declared January 2014 "Shakespeare Month" and has pulled together a month-long celebration of the Bard which will include films, a discussion with local experts and two performances by the acclaimed American Shakespeare Center on Tour. Prices vary and some events are free. The Alden is located at 1234 Ingleside Avenue, inside the McLean Community Center.

As I was leaving the theater after watching a live Bolshoi Ballet production of Sleeping Beauty, the purple fairy of civility appeared and asked to speak with me. As we could not find a restaurant fit for royalty, we adjourned to a nearby Dunkin' Donuts and sat down to chat. The following is a live transcription of our talk.

Theatre at St. Clement's will host the World Premiere of The Clearing, written by Jake Jeppson (Jerome Fellowship recipient) and directed by Josh Hecht (Drama Desk Award winner for Christine Jorgensen Reveals). The Clearing runs Off-Broadway from January 15 - February 9, 2014. Previews begin January 15 for a January 19 opening. Theatre at St. Clement's is located at 423 West 46th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues in New York City.

It's delightful. It's delicious. It's de-lovely! International City Theatre opens its 29th season with the California premiere of Let's Misbehave: The Music and Lyrics of Cole Porter, conceived by Karin Bowersock (book) and Patrick Young (musical arrangements) and directed and choreographed by Todd Nielsen. With musical direction by Darryl Archibald and starring triple-threats Lindsey Alley, Marc Ginsburg and Jennifer Shelton, Let's Misbehave opens Jan. 24 at International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Two low-priced previews take place on Jan. 22 and Jan. 23.

American Songbook at NJPAC, a new music performance series from NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), will be broadcast throughout the tri-state area on NJTV and WNET affiliates beginning this January.

The January cabaret series that began in 2013 will be back in 2014, making it the newest tradition at Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre. Like the 2013 series, 2014's program will be a rotating mix of one-weekend-only performances in the cozy confines of the No Exit Cafe.

Having written a plethora of words about Marissa Mulder over the past couple of years, I had planned on relegating a review of her mid-November, two-show run at the Cafe Carlyle to a relatively short critique in my seasonal compilation column (due to post a day or two or three before Santa arrives, for those keeping score at home). But once I got started I went way over my self-imposed word count for such things and decided it should be broken out into this stand-alone review. Speaking of 'breakout,' although the first known use of the phrase 'breakout year' came 35 years ago, it has become the standard expression in sports or entertainment when referring to someone who has become a sudden or smashing success, especially in comparison to past efforts. If anyone in the world of New York cabaret could be said to have had a 'breakout year' in 2013, it would have to be Marissa Mulder. And this angelic young woman-in voice, looks, and personality-hasn't even hit 30 yet.

Theatre Rhinoceros presents the Bay Area Premiere of the Stephen Sondheim Musical ROAD SHOW, featuring Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Book by John Weidman, and running January 2 - 19, 2014

In her sixth decade of providing music magic, Barbra Streisand continues to reach the number one position on the charts. Her "Back To Brooklyn" concert DVD has reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top DVD Music Videos chart. Achieving that distinction with the Columbia Records release, Streisand has now topped the DVD charts five times. Her success in the DVD field also includes having earned nine Gold DVDs, six Platinum and three Multi-Platinum.

The National Theatre of Great Britain brings the popular show on tour to Hershey Theatre in a production that rivals the original New York one