Harold Arlen News

The Boston Gay Men's Chorus annual Pride concert on Sunday at Symphony Hall featured Special Guest Laura Benanti, the Tony Award-winning singer/actress, also known to television audiences for her roles on "Nashville" and "The Good Wife." In a program with selections ranging from musical theater greats like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kander and Ebb, and Stephen Sondheim, to pop artist Madonna and a newly commissioned piece, the BGMC and Benanti seemed to inspire each other to perform at the highest level of their combined vocal abilities, spiced up with some flashy dancing boys and refreshing comedy stylings by the guest artist.

There are certain things audiences have come to expect in a new production from Studio Tenn, the Franklin-based, Nashville-nurtured professional theater company headed up by Matt Logan and Jake Speck: You know it will be beautifully designed, sumptuously mounted and impeccably cast.

This week at 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

Marc Robin's Oz isn't the movie's. It isn't your parents'. It's bigger, it's louder, it's more colorful, and it's just a bit reminiscent of the Diane Paulus PIPPIN.

Craving a show after the show?  54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, is expanding its popular late-night series with fresh faces and hot new performances to keep the party buzzing into the wee hours. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551. 54 BELOW welcomes you to loosen your tie and embrace the night at its upcoming event: 

Welcome to the latest entry of 'Broadway's Hottest Singer/Songwriters' featuring some of theater's hottest talents sharing insight into their own original music. Today, we meet Jason Forbach who has appeared in LES MISERABLES, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and many other shows.

krav (Pr. 'crave') follows a dinner host and her guests through an underground supper club, featuring delicious four-course tasting menu with beverage pairings prepared by Executive Chef, Rick Martinez (Bon Appetit, Food Network).

Last week, Betty Buckley returned to Joe's Pub to debut her newest cabaret concert DARK BLUE-EYED BLUES. Thrilled to have been recognized as a chanteuse in recent reviews, Buckley programmed the evening to be the "musings of a chanteuse," packing the set with standards and contemporary hits. The Broadway legend performed with tangible vivacity and charm, making this intimate evening a joy to experience.

Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano are in a really good mood. The infectious buoyancy of their new show at the Metropolitan Room, Shoulder Season (Don't ask me what the title means. Despite explanation, I haven't a clue.), will erase world news, ease arthritis, and make love seem possible again. Well, maybe not all that. Its warm, cheerful, sometimes exuberant musicality is nonetheless recommended for whatever ails you.

ILENE GRAFF, Grammy-nominated recording artist, television, and Broadway star, along with her husband, ASCAP-Award winning Musical Director BEN LANZARONE, present their big band show: 'IT'S BETTER WITH A BAND!' on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at 8:30 P.M. at Hollywood's premiere live music venue, Catalina's Jazz Club ( 6275 Sunset Blvd.).

What do you get when you combine the old-world charm and elegance of the Westgate Hotel with a performance by a renowned singer and add in an exquisite 3-course dinner created by a world-class French chef? An all-new Cabaret Soiree dinner show starring Karen Giorgio in the Versailles Ballroom of the Westgate Hotel.

June is just around the corner. In New York, this means that spring is melting into summer and that New York City's annual celebration and remembrance of the original Stonewall riots is here. While the official NYC Pride website only lists a week's worth of activities late in June, denizens of the city are aware of festivities spanning the whole month. One of the most popular is the annual, star-studded NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS fundraising concert.

Born in a very small town in Indiana, the youngest of 8 children, Ira Lee began singing on the radio with his sister when they were kids. After studying at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, he moved to New York where he appeared off-Broadway and in regional theatre, and even opened for the great Dawn Hampton in the '60s. After many years of performing, he took a 25-year hiatus from show business, re-appearing a few years ago with several successful cabaret appearances in NYC. Now 79, Ira Lee shares his life-time of experience with humor and joy.

Theater lovers have a sizzling menu of choices for their viewing pleasure this Summer in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area ~ from delightful old chestnuts to spirited and timeless musicals. Here are the picks of the crop.

KAREN WYMAN - the celebrated pop/jazz vocalist currently celebrating a renaissance since her days performing on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' and 'The Dean Martin Show' - will debut at Iridium Jazz Club tonight, May 26 at 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM.

I like Megan Hilty because she laughs a lot. She's fun! A young star of stage and screen-- having established herself as "Glinda" in Wicked on Broadway (2005-06) and subsequently becoming a TV star playing complicated and talented Ivy Lynn in the NBC hit musical drama Smash-Hilty opened her current run at the Cafe Carlyle Tuesday night to an excited, adoring audience. On stage with her band, directed by musical savant Matt Cusson--sporting a jaunty Newsies-style cap--at the keyboard (and including her husband Brian Gallagher on guitar, Ryan Hoagland on percussion, and Dennis Michael Keefe on upright bass), Hilty's effervescence was palpable, a heady mixture of genuine glee and sleep deprivation, as she effusively exclaimed her delight at being back at the Carlyle, following her last run when she was six-months pregnant. Now she has an eight-month old daughter. While her initial intention was to create a show about motherhood, the show ended up as a night of standards and Smash selections, giving the people what they know and love.

Every other show on Broadway seems to be an adaptation of a movie. So the question is, which ones will be next? Our wonderful readers weighed in, as they did last week, and came up with some great suggestions!

What do you get when you combine the old-world charm and elegance of the Westgate Hotel with a performance by a renowned singer and add in an exquisite 3-course dinner created by a world-class French chef? An all-new Cabaret Soiree dinner show starring Karen Giorgio in the Versailles Ballroom of the Westgate Hotel.

krav (Pr. 'crave') follows a dinner host and her guests through an underground supper club, featuring delicious four-course tasting menu with beverage pairings prepared by Executive Chef, Rick Martinez (Bon Appetit, Food Network).