Frank Owens News

The spirit of jazz legends Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald (with a little Tito Puente) was palpable in the Milton Berle room at New York's Friars Club on April 25 for the second-annual production of Triple Threats. Broadway veterans (including Duke's granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington, who also co-produced the show) joined some of America's most accomplished jazz musicians to celebrate the April birthdays of the music greats and to honor those performers who sing, dance, and act at the highest levels.

Last night Mercedes Ellington granddaughter of Duke Ellington and president and founder of The Duke Ellington Center For The Arts along with co-producer Judi Marks hosted a Triple Threat musical celebration at the legendary Friars Club.  It was a special evening that featured performances of the music of the three giants of Jazz and BroadwayWorld was there.

Back by popular demand, ON KENTUCKY AVENUE: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Historic Club Harlem returns to City College's performing arts center Aaron Davis Hall tonight, February 19, for a three-day encore engagement. The show, which shines a red-hot spotlight on a little-known piece of Black history, is presented by the City College Center for the Arts (CCCA) and Byron and Sylvia Lewis. An audience favorite, last February, the production was created by Jeree Wade and directed and written by Adam Wade with Ty Stephens. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the show!

Paradise Glen Productions announced today they will present A Balkan American Musical Celebration at the East Village music venue DROM on Monday, February 22 from 6-9pm. A dynamic fusion of Balkan and American jazz & blues, mixed with traditional Sevdah-style Bosniak singing, this one-night only musical event features performances by Olivier Award-winning Croatian actress Zrinka Cvitesic, acclaimed jazz vocalist Sasha Dobson, noted jazz pianist & composer Frank Owens and gypsy punk rockers Bad Buka, and emceed by actor Tony Naumovski.

Back by popular demand, On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Historic Club Harlem returns to City College's performing arts center Aaron Davis Hall on Friday, February 19, for a three-day encore engagement. The show, which shines a red-hot spotlight on a little-known piece of Black history and a famed club that came out of the segregation era, is presented by the City College Center for the Arts (CCCA) and Byron and Sylvia Lewis. An audience favorite, last February, the production was created by Jeree Wade and directed and written by Adam Wade with Ty Stephens.

Today, January 16th at 2pm, Sunday, January 17th and Monday, January 18th at 7pm, ON KENTUCKY AVENUE: The Atlantic City Club Harlem Revue returns to The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street.

On Saturday January 16th at 2pm, Sunday, January 17th and Monday, January 18th at 7pm, ON KENTUCKY AVENUE: The Atlantic City Club Harlem Revue returns to The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street.

Back by popular demand, ON KENTUCKY AVENUE: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Historic Club Harlem returns to City College's performing arts center Aaron Davis Hall on Friday, February 19, for a three-day encore engagement. The show, which shines a red-hot spotlight on a little-known piece of Black history, is presented by the City College Center for the Arts (CCCA) and Byron and Sylvia Lewis. An audience favorite, last February, the production was created by Jeree Wade and directed and written by Adam Wade with Ty Stephens. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the show!

The critically acclaimed musical revue On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Club Harlem, starring Tony nominee Brenda Braxton and recording artists Ty Stephens and Rosalind Brown, will return to its original theatrical home, Stage 72/The Triad (158 West 72nd Street), for one performance only on Sunday, August 23, at 7 PM.

The Triad will host an encore performance of ON KENTUCKY AVENUE: THE ATLANTIC CITY CLUB HARLEM REVUE on Sunday, August 23rd at 7pm at The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street.

A book event for Stewart F. Lane's Black Broadway was held as a fundraiser for the new City College Center For the Arts on Tuesday, March 10th. Scroll down for photos from the event!

On Tuesdays, today, December 2nd and 9th, Wednesday December 3rd @ 7pm, The Triad/Stage72, 158 West 72nd Street, hosts an encore performance of On Kentucky Avenue: The Atlantic City Club Harlem Revue - an homage to the now defunct historical 'Club Harlem.' Club Harlem was an Atlantic City venue, which hosted all 'the greats' such as Nancy Wilson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald and many more.

'On Kentucky Avenue -- The Atlantic City Club Harlem Revue' has been presented three or four times a month periodically since February at Stage 72/The Triad, with Cheryl Freeman, Andricka Hall and Ty Stephens co-starring, Because Freeman and Hall both had previous commitments in December and were unable to perform when Stage 72 scheduled three additional performances of 'On Kentucky Avenue' on December 2, 3 and 9 at 7 PM, the producers feel fortunate that they have been able to replace them for these added performances with Tony nominee Brenda Braxton and recording artist Jenny Douglas.

On Tuesdays, December 2nd and 9th, Wednesday December 3rd @ 7pm, The Triad/Stage72, 158 West 72nd Street, hosts an encore performance of On Kentucky Avenue: The Atlantic City Club Harlem Revue - an homage to the now defunct historical "Club Harlem." Club Harlem was an Atlantic City venue, which hosted all "the greats" such as Nancy Wilson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald and many more.

ON KENTUCKY AVENUE lives on at STAGE 72/THE TRIAD! The newly revised musical revue, a fictional story about the people and performers who took the stage and filled the tables at the majestic Club Harlem 'on Kentucky Avenue' in the north section of Atlantic City from the 1930s until the late 1980s, has been extended for three Sunday performances on Sept. 7 (3 PM), 14 (3 PM) and 21 (7 PM). Created by Jeree Wade, who performed at the legendary nightclub and who appears in this production as one of its most popular singers Damita Jo, the production focuses on a fictional love triangle, based loosely on fact, between the club's emcee and two of its leading ladies.

Due to popular demand, ON KENTUCKY AVENUE, a newly revised musical revue based loosely on fact (and mostly fiction) about the people and performers who took the stage and filled the tables at the majestic Club Harlem 'on Kentucky Avenue' in the north section of Atlantic City from the 1930s until the late 1980s, will return to STAGE 72/THE TRIAD, 158 West 72nd Street, for five performances in August. The additional performances will take place on Sundays, August 3, 10, 17 and 24 at 3 PM, and Monday, August 4, at 7 PM.

'On Kentucky Avenue,' the musical revue about the fabled Atlantic City nightclub Club Harlem which reigned supreme in Atlantic City in the years before the casinos came into vogue, has announced that it will be presented for five performances in August at Stage 72/The Triad in preparation for a tour and Broadway production in 2015.

For those of you lucky enough to be in New York, actor and singer Keith David will be performing again this week. Tonight, June 25th, Keith will be guest appearing at the Cotton Club in New York for the 37th anniversary of the club's opening. He will be singing a solo tune and a pair of duets with Debbie Sledge. Keith's longtime friend, Frank Owens, will conduct.

For those of you lucky enough to be in New York, actor and singer Keith David will be performing twice next week. He will be at Carnegie Hall on June 23rd for The Black Stars of The Great White Way Broadway Reunion. This will be an all-male tribute that honors a multitude of jazz musicians such as Luis Jordan, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and others. The concert celebrates the artists' successes at Carnegie Hall, Broadway, television, and the international touring circuit, as well as in the recording and film industries. Keith will be doing an excerpt from his portrayal of Paul Robeson.