Cole Porter News

Jack Jones celebrates his fiftieth anniversary in show business in a special one night only concert at The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert on Saturday, November 23, at 8:00pm. Jones won two Grammys for 'Best Pop Male Vocal Performance' with his singles 'Lollipops and Roses' and 'Wives and Lovers.' He was also nominated for 'The Impossible Dream,' and his recording of 'Wives and Lovers' was nominated for 'Record of the Year'. His hit records include 'The Race Is On,' 'Lady,' 'Call Me Irresponsible,' and 'What I Did for Love.' He is a leading interpreter of musical theater, with acclaimed performances in Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, She Loves Me, Pajama Game, and as Don Quixote in the national tour of Man of La Mancha. Jones's credits also include film and television roles, an internationally syndicated TV variety show, and performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the White House and he has performed and recorded theme songs for film and TV, including 'Love with a Proper Stranger" and 'The Love Boat.'

Due to popular demand and wide-spread critical acclaim, producer George Youakim from James Anthony Productions today announced that the season of the devilishly cheeky, fun-filled Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has been extended to December 8 at Sydney's Theatre Royal. New performances go on sale on Friday. Sydney audiences are rolling in the aisles to what the Sydney Morning Herald has labelled 'the best new musical to hit Sydney this century.'

The York Theatre Company launches its 2013-14 season with a special concert presentation of the musical Six Wives, with Book and Lyrics by Joe Masteroff and Music by Edward Thomas tonight. Directed by David Green, and with Music Direction by Dennis Buck, the five member cast features Nick Wyman and Claybourne Elder, with Judy Kaye and Alexander Silber as the six wives, and Alexander Gemignani playing Henry VIII.

Actor Howard McGillin, Broadway's longest-running Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, has agreed to headline Tennessee Shakespeare Company's Fifth Annual Valentine's Gala on February 14, 2014, at Germantown Performing Arts Center.

SCU•PRESENTS will feature the Faculty, Staff and Students at Santa Clara University in the Fall 2013 Music Season, which includes FOLKSONGS, RITUALS AND RITES OF PASSAGE, featuring SCU faculty member, Teresa McCollough on the piano with special guest artist, Michael Boyd. SCU•PRESENTS is also proud to announce three new Music Directors and Conductors joining the Department of Music; John Kennedy, Music Director & Conductor, of the Santa Clara University Orchestra, Dr. Douglas Harris, Director of Bands, Santa Clara University Wind Symphony and Jazz Band and Scot Hanna-Weir, Music Director and Conductor, Santa Clara University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.

In the first pops concert of the season, Utah Symphony will welcome back to Utah Brian Stokes Mitchell, a much-loved vocalist who performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during their annual Christmas Concert in 2008.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Andrew Levine, Executive Director) launches its 2013-14 season with a special concert presentation of the musical Six Wives, with Book and Lyrics by Joe Masteroff and Music by Edward Thomas. Directed by David Green, and with Music Direction by Dennis Buck, the five member cast will feature Nick Wyman and Liam Forde, who replaces the previously announced Claybourne Elder, with Judy Kaye and Alexander Silber as the six wives, and Alexander Gemignani playing Henry VIII. The one-night only concert event will be held tonight, October 28, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

Some people, especially some cabaret reviewers and cabaret fans, might think it's lazy or a copout or both for a performer to keep recycling previous shows. But when the Café Carlyle comes a'callin' you: A) May not have enough time to create a totally new show or B) Want to pitch the big game with your best stuff or C) All of the above. Since I only started reviewing cabaret in late 2010, I missed the Laurie Beechman Theatre debut of Jennifer Sheehan's 2009 show You Made Me Love You: Celebrating 100 Years of the Great American Songbook, and missed it again when she brought it to the Metropolitan Room in 2010. So I, for one, am not complaining that she dusted off the critically praised set again (with the new slug 'Timeless Classics and New Treasures' from said Songbook show) for her debut last Saturday night at the prestigious Café Carlyle. Sheehan may have been booked for the room's new 10:45 late night series and not the prime time slot, but at least the Carlyle is giving opportunities to exciting young cabaret performers like Sheehan (and Marissa Mulder, who will make her debut at the room on November 7). With You Made Me Love You, Sheehan made everything old new again-at least for me.

This winter a five alarm fire will sizzle in New York City, when Live Nation presents the highly anticipated New York City debut of the hard hitting theatrical concert BURLESQUE TO BROADWAY starring QUINN LEMLEY playing for four nights at the Gramercy Theatre on February 5, 6, 7 and 8, 2014.

Davis Gaines (Southern California's Longest-running PHANTOM) and Victoria Strong star in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza premiere of Cole Porter's most raucous, sexy, and best loved musical ever, KISS ME, KATE! Cabrillo Music Theatre's 20th Anniversary Season kicks off with the popular favorite, playing until Sunday, October 27th, at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Broadway's original 'Kate' from KISS ME, KATE, Patricia Morrison, came to Cabrillo Music Theatre's production on opening night, Friday, October 18, to meet cast members Davis Gaines, Victoria Strong and Lois Reba Buhr. Check out photos of her backstage below!

Hailed by The New York Times as a 'revelation,' and the Chicago Tribune as 'the most promising discovery that [Wynton] Marsalis has made since Eric Reed,' Aaron Diehl is the 2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association. His distinctive interpretations of the music of Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, and other masters pay homage to the tradition while establishing an original voice.

Chicago's selection of seasonal shows this winter will include the exciting addition of Theo Ubique's updating of the Madrigal Dinner tradition for all audiences. Song, food, poetry and variety acts will combine into a most festive feast for A Very Merry Madrigal. Weekend matinee performances plus reduced ticket prices for children under12 will make the event accessible and affordable for families as well as adults.

Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts continues the 2013-14 Jazz series with the AARON DIEHL TRIO featuring Aaron Diehl, piano David Wong, bass • Rodney Green, drums Saturday, November 23, 2013, 8:00 p.m. Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street) Tickets: $20-$30 • Students with valid ID: $12-$18

Upon exiting Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal on Sunday October 20, I overheard someone say 'There are no cabaret shows like this anymore.' Sad, but true! Dominic Morra, at 80 years young, proves that he is vocally every bit as good as he was some 50 years ago. With a face like Anthony Quinn and a voice like John Raitt, Morra has a vocal instrument akin to a silver flute. On Broadway in Call Me Madam and having crossed country on many National tours of such shows as Camelot, Morra spent most of the 70-minute set of Keep the Music Playing reminiscing about his career through some of the greatest music of all time. With an unassuming style, he is a true gentleman and doesn't need a big outgoing approach to reach his audience. His friendly manner and great voice say it all. With fine musical direction from Paul Cady at the piano, Morra presented a cabaret, which one can only hope is a new beginning for him.

Pops Conductor Jack Everly helms entertaining evening of great music

Light Opera Works' 2014 season will begin with DAMN YANKEES starring artistic director Rudy Hogenmiller (June 7-15),followed by FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (August 9-24), COLE PORTER'S GREATEST HITS (October 3-12), and THE MERRY WIDOW (December 19-31).

Two of cabaret's most popular and honored vocalists of the last decade, Tanya Holt and Marcus Simeone, bring their dynamic new show, Quiet Storm, to the Metropolitan Room for six Saturday shows running once monthly through November 16 (with a summer break.)

Internationally renowned tenor Michael Amante, affectionately known as "The People's Tenor," and one of the touring New York Tenors, will play the Freddie Trumper role as a lonely American chess wizard in TheatreZone's production of Chess - the Musical today announced artistic director Mark Danni. Tickets are available for 10 performances March 6 through March 16, 2014.

TV actress, celebrity masterchef, and cabaret singer - Denise Black is a woman of many talents. She's also a woman of seemingly boundless energy: yesterday she spent the day filming for Emmerdale before heading off to see a movie