Harold Arlen News

Bay Area Cabaret will present the singer, songwriter, and actress Nellie McKay in a special performance with San Francisco's multiple Grammy winning a cappella ensemble, Chanticleer.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. 'American Songbook in the Penthouse' embraces adventuresome performers and celebrates composers and lyricists, both newer and veteran. With a seating capacity of just 225, the Kaplan Penthouse allows acoustic performers to be heard the way they intend - near to the audience and without elaborate amplification. The size of the space also allows performers to interact with their audience to make them an integral part of their performance, something difficult to do in a larger, more formal venue.

The Studebakers, known for their beautiful vocal blends and swinging harmonies will appear as part of The TexARTS Cabaret Series tonight, February 22 at 8p.m. Expect to rediscover those marvelous melodies from the 1920's, '30's and '40's in an evening that will feature such hits as, 'Mr. Sandman,' 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' and 'Dream a Little Dream of Me.' The Studebakers have been a staple of the Austin music scene for over 20 years and are known for their fresh renditions of the classics made famous by the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong and others.

One month ago, 35 gifted lyricists, composers and librettists took up residency at Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam, CT for the first ever Johnny Mercer Writers Colony to participate in an environment of discovery and inspiration. Working in teams and housed in specially constructed quintessential New England two story cottages each equipped with a piano, the teams worked on over 30 musicals during the course of the month. On Saturday February 16, the residency program concluded with a Salon as had been done each week featuring a sparkling sampler of new musicals that were worked on throughout the month. Scroll below for photos from the event!

Joe's Pub will welcome Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins in her return to their stage for an ongoing series BRING ON MEN. BRING ON THE MEN will kick off with Brad Simmons tonight, February 18, 2013 at 9:30 PM, and March 24 at 9:30pm.

Today in 1905, Harold Arlen was born. Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over, Arlen is best known for writing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, 'Over the Rainbow.' Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook. Harlen's music has been featured in a number of other early Broadway shows including Hooray for What!, Bloomer Girl, St. Louis Woman, House of Flowers, Mr. Imperium, Jamaica, Saratoga, and many more.

Bay Area Cabaret presents the Bay Area concert debut of Britain's dazzling Elaine Paige. Dubbed 'The First Lady of Musical Theatre,' Ms. Paige will perform an evening of the career-defining showstoppers that earned her a place among Broadway and the West End's most treasured performers.

At last year's Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) Awards, two of the big winners were T. Oliver Reid (photo left) for Male Debut and Eric Michael Gillett for Major Artist, Male (and both could very likely be MAC nominees again this year). Almost a year later, two of New York cabaret's leading men performed new shows one night apart at 54 Below; Reid on February 6 with Drop Me Off in Harlem, and Gillett the next night with Careless Rhapsody: An Evening Dedicated to the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart. Ironically, what the shows had in common--besides being a fairly good fit of material to singer--was that the majority of their sets featured songs written in the 1930s but in very different styles. With Reid it was the jazz, swing and blues of Harlem; with Gillette it was the romantic Broadway musical sensibility of Hart's lyrics (paired with the timeless melodies of Richard Rodgers). While neither Reid's 'Harlem,' nor Gillett's 'Hart' were stirring or spectacular shows, they were both solid and entertaining enough that both could be nominated for BroadwayWorld.com Awards in 2013.

According to Leslie Uggams' website, she will be playing Lena Horne in STORMY WEATHER: THE LENA HORNE STORY on Broadway this fall.

On November 1, 2012, Tye Blue, who has been listed as 'Houston's Best Male Entertainer' for the past three years and just finished a Stellar run as Frank in Houston Grand Opera's production of Francesca Zambello's SHOW BOAT, released his mesmerizing debut solo album entitled Here. On the three track masterpiece, Tye Blue exposes listeners to his wide range of crooning skills, taking us on a Journey through his versatility as he sings in the styles of gospel, jazz, and showtunes.

The Studebakers, known for their beautiful vocal blends and swinging harmonies will appear as part of The TexARTS Cabaret Series on Friday, February 22 at 8p.m. Expect to rediscover those marvelous melodies from the 1920's, '30's and '40's in an evening that will feature such hits as, 'Mr. Sandman,' 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' and 'Dream a Little Dream of Me.' The Studebakers have been a staple of the Austin music scene for over 20 years and are known for their fresh renditions of the classics made famous by the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Louie Armstrong and others.

Edward Watts will star as Superman in the New York City Center Encores! production of It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman, runningMarch 20- 24 at City Center. Stay tuned for the identities of the actors portraying Lois Lane, the evil Dr. Sedgwick and other inhabitants of the city of Metropolis.

Joe's Pub will welcome Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins in her return to their stage for an ongoing series BRING ON MEN. BRING ON THE MEN will kick off with Brad Simmons on February 18, 2013 at 9:30 PM, and March 24 at 9:30pm.

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 award-winning vocalist Eric Michael Gillett, Broadway star Chester Gregory, Grammy Award winner Joni Mitchell, BACKSTAGE, Broadway star T. Olvier Reid, Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli, Toni Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh and SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED.

The music alone is reason enough to see this show.

It's hard to believe that Amanda McBroom--who many consider to be one of the country's leading cabaret performers--had never played the elegant Cafe Carlyle before the current run of her new show A Valentine Rose. But better late than never because few things could warm the cockles of a romance-craved heart more on a frigid early February evening than McBroom sweeping into the Carlyle and singing songs about the vagaries of love that fit her special definition: 'Like a double expresso--a slice of life ground under pressure with a little bit of steam.'

The DUKES OF HAZZARD star has a new CD and a concert date at 54 BELOW.

This week's THEATER TALK focuses on both the new PBS documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy and the 100th Anniversary of the Actors' Equity Association. Guests are filmmaker Michael Kantor, producer of the PBS film, followed by Nicholas Wyman, President of Actors' Equity, and Robert Simonson, author of Performance of the Century: 100 Years of Actors' Equity Association and the Rise of Professional American Theater, which chronicles the powerful union's history.