Ethel Waters News

Here she is, boys. Here she is, world. Here's E. Faye Butler as Mama Rose in GYPSY. Butler commands the Porchlight stage with a presence that's both larger-than-life and also at the same time a deeply revealing character study. To say that Butler's portrayal of Mama Rose is a star turn is almost not enough. Butler seems to live and breathe this role; she does not appear to be acting but rather fully inhabiting this iconic character.

If a musical can heal the world, that musical is THE COLOR PURPLE -- specifically, the production now playing at Portland Center Stage. This star-studded production, headed by the luminous Felicia Boswell in the role of Celie, tells a story of empowerment that has probably never been more needed than it is right now.

Tickets are now on sale for the final four Philly POPS shows of the 40thAnniversary 2018-19 concert season - POPS Rocks: The '80s, Uptown Nights with Byron Stripling, Cole Porter's Broadway: Too Darn Hot and American Bandstand: A Philadelphia Story. Tickets for all shows start at $35.

Next month, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

After making her debut with Dominion Entertainment (DEG) in the sell-out holiday classic 'Black Nativity,' actress and singer Terry Burrell is returning to the stage. This summer, Burrell will play the audacious preacher's wife, Mabel, in DEG's production of 'Crowns.' The gospel musical by Golden Globe winning playwright Regina Taylor will run May 30 - June 10, at the Fulton County Southwest Arts Center Performance Theater & Gallery.

After making her debut with Dominion Entertainment (DEG) in the sell-out holiday classic 'Black Nativity,' actress and singer Terry Burrell is returning to the stage. This summer, Burrell will play the audacious preacher's wife, Mabel, in DEG's production of 'Crowns.' The gospel musical by Golden Globe winning playwright Regina Taylor will run May 30 - June 10, at the Fulton County Southwest Arts Center Performance Theater & Gallery.

Blues and Broadway take the stage as Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents the regional premiere of Larry Parr's His Eye is on the Sparrow, the powerful, heartbreaking, and uplifting account of the iconic Ethel Waters, who overcame a spirit-breaking childhood and racial injustice to become a legendary jazz and blues singer, Broadway pioneer, and Oscar-nominated actress. This one-woman musical biography recounts the life behind this leading lady and features some of Waters's most famous musical numbers. Playing April 24-May 19, 2018. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers. Production Sponsor is John Goering.

After making her debut with Dominion Entertainment (DEG) in the sell-out holiday classic 'Black Nativity,' actress and singer Terry Burrell is returning to the stage. This summer, Burrell will play the audacious preacher's wife, Mabel, in DEG's production of 'Crowns.' The gospel musical by Golden Globe winning playwright Regina Taylor will run May 30 - June 10, at the Fulton County Southwest Arts Center Performance Theater & Gallery.

Blues and Broadway take the stage as Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati presents the regional premiere of Larry Parr's His Eye is on the Sparrow, the powerful, heartbreaking, and uplifting account of the iconic Ethel Waters, who overcame a spirit-breaking childhood and racial injustice to become a legendary jazz and blues singer, Broadway pioneer, and Oscar-nominated actress. This one-woman musical biography recounts the life behind this leading lady and features some of Waters's most famous musical numbers. Playing April 24-May 19, 2018. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers. Production Sponsor is John Goering.

Actress and singer, Gay Marshall, celebrates the genius of Leonard Cohen in Back on Boogie Street at Pangea in New York City this April. Marshall, considered a premiere interpreter of the music of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, was drawn to Cohen "by the glorious variety of melodies and messages in his music" says Marshall. "The process became a fascinating discovery of an exceptional artist who turned out to be surprisingly shy and funny, while introducing me to other remarkable musician-singers, like his sublime longtime collaborator Sharon Robinson."

Actress and singer, Gay Marshall, celebrates the genius of Leonard Cohen in Back on Boogie Street at Pangea in New York City this April. Marshall, considered a premiere interpreter of the music of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, was drawn to Cohen after hearing covers of songs she didn't realize were his. "I had never thought of singing his repertoire, but then I immersed myself in his records and the glorious variety of melodies and messages hit me like a lightning bolt. I was hooked," says Marshall. "The process became a fascinating discovery of an exceptional artist who turned out to be surprisingly shy and funny, while introducing me to other remarkable musician-singers, like his sublime longtime collaborator Sharon Robinson."

The Philly POPS announced its 40th Anniversary 2018-19 concert season today. Subscriptions for this celebratory 40th Anniversary Season go on sale at 10 a.m. Moe Septee founded the POPS in November 1979 with a concert at the Academy of Music. Celebrated jazz pianist Peter Nero conducted the POPS from 1979 until 2013.

Bay Area Cabaret is delighted to present An Evening with Liz Callaway. Having appeared with Bay Area Cabaret in concert with her sister, Ann Hampton Callaway, and in a tribute to composer Stephen Schwartz, Liz Callaway-the Tony-nominated Broadway star of Miss Saigon, Baby, Merrily We Roll Along and Cats, and voice of the animated classic, Anastasia-makes her solo Venetian Room debut.

The McCallum Theatre presents the Walnut Street Theatre's production of Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, on Tuesday, February 27, at 8:00pm. Baskerville features Ian Merrill Peakes as Sherlock Holmes and Bill Van Horn as Doctor Watson. Additional cast members are Sarah Glicko, Dan Hodge and Jered McLenigan.

Goodwill Cultural Ambassador Ronald Rand has been invited to represent the United States in the Theatre Olympics, performing as Harold Clurman in his celebrated one-man show, 'LET IT BE ART! Harold Clurman's Life of Passion' in Delhi at the prestigious Kamani Auditorium on February 25th, and at the Kalagram Theatre in Bangalore, India on February 27th, 2018.

Mayo Performing Arts Center presents three Family Theatre for Young Children events in February. All events are $12-15 dollars and are recommended for children 4-10

On March 5, 2018, TADA! Youth Theater will host its annual gala at Tribeca 360, located at 10 Desbrosses Street in Manhattan. This year's honorees will be Leslie Uggams and Tommy Tune. The evening will feature a cocktail hour, dinner, live and silent auctions, entertainment from the TADA!'s Resident Youth Ensemble and Broadway stars, and many more great surprises.

Carnegie Hall has announced upcoming November and December events. Check out the listings below!

Grammy Award-winning jazz and blues vocalist Catherine Russell comes to Zankel Hall today, November 3 at 9:00 p.m. with a performance celebrating the golden age of Harlem. Journeying through the heart of the great African American songbook, Russell channels legendary singers like Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington with the swinging music of Fats Waller, Benny Carter, Irving Berlin, and others.

Opera Exposures,, Inc, a local 501(C3) created in 2004 by Edna Greenwich as a nonprofit arts organization supporting young and emerging musical artists that is dedicated to developing a diverse audience by performing in affordable venues, has announced its first recital of the Fall season.