Jacques Brel News

Legendary French pianist and composer Michel Legrand will return to the Blue Note for a series of concerts with his trio from March 29 - April 3. Legrand is best known for his film scores - Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair and the theme song from Yentl are among the highlights - but they tend to overshadow his extensive work as a jazz arranger/composer and pianist.

The Colony Theatre Company is excited to present the fifth and final production of its 36th season, the classy, sassy musical, THE ALL NIGHT STRUT!, conceived by Fran Charnas, directed & choreographed by Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel (Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!) with musical direction by Dean Mora.

Legendary French pianist and composer Michel Legrand will return to the Blue Note for a series of concerts with his trio from March 29 - April 3. Legrand is best known for his film scores - Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair and the theme song from Yentl are among the highlights - but they tend to overshadow his extensive work as a jazz arranger/composer and pianist.

Upcoming Theatre Communication Group Member Shows - 3/27 for New Jersey

This special edition of (le) Poisson Rouge's weekly party will be an homage to the old Village Gate. Dress as if it's 1965 - think Mad Men - and get ready to enjoy the pre-1965 tunes of the Golden Age of Broadway while sipping an Old Fashioned!

Constantine Maroulis, who originated the role of Drew in ROCK OF AGES on Broadway, recently introduced his first child, Malena James to the world via People Magazine. On how he and mom ANgel Reed chose the now three month old's name, he commented: '. 'I always loved the name. I'm not fond of a lot of Greek female names. James is my middle name and my father's name. It just fit.'

Broadway and Regional favorites Suzzanne Douglas (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill), Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde), and Garth Kravits (The Drowsy Chaperone) will headline The Best of Times: A Star-Studded Salute to the Tony Awards, on Saturday, April 9, 8 p.m., at the Bickford Theatre at the Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ.

Producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Philadelphia engagement of MARY POPPINS. Philadelphia's most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Academy of Music on Wednesday, March 23 for a limited engagement of four weeks through Sunday, April 17 as part of the Broadway Season, presented by the Kimmel Center and the Shubert Organization. The opening night (press opening) is Friday, March 25 at 8:00 pm.

Grey Gardens, book by Doug Wright, Music by Scott Frankel, Lyrics by Michael Korie runs March 25 - April 17, 2011 at The Circuit Playhouse

On March 9, Constantine Maroulis along with music legends Night Ranger and Journey had a jam session on 107.7FM to promote the opening of ROCK OF AGES at the Curran Theatre. Click below to watch as they take requests!

CAPA, Broadway Across America, and producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh are pleased to announce full casting for the Columbus engagement of MARY POPPINS. Columbus' most eagerly anticipated stage production will begin performances at the Ohio Theatre on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, May 8, 2011. Opening night is Thursday, April 21, at 7:30pm.

The Cabaret is excited to celebrate National Cabaret Month with the return of French chanteuse and international cabaret star, Jil Aigrot, the critically acclaimed voice behind the role of Edith Piaf in the Academy Award/Golden Globe winning film "La Vie En Rose."

Upcoming Theatre Communication Group Member Shows - 3/20 for New Jersey

Annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards are set to be held on March 20th at 6pm at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town.

Written by Larry Parr, directed by Gary Yates, under the musical direction of S. Renee Clark, and accompanied by William Knowles on the piano and keyboard, the production will close March 20th.

Stephen Sondheim famously commented that his Sweeney Todd is an opera when performed in an opera house and a musical when performed in a theatre.  A similar comparison might be made for composer/lyricist Joe Iconis' Things To Ruin, which in the past several years has played New York engagements in a legitimate theatre (Second Stage), two quasi-theatre/music spaces (Ars Nova and the much-missed Zipper Factory) and two music venues (Joe's Pub and its current home for two more performances, (Le) Poisson Rouge).

This special edition of (le) Poisson Rouge's weekly party will be an homage to the old Village Gate. Dress as if it's 1965 - think Mad Men - and get ready to enjoy the pre-1965 tunes of the Golden Age of Broadway while sipping an Old Fashioned!

Upcoming Theatre Communication Group Member Shows - 3/13 for New Jersey

The Colony Theatre Company is excited to present the fifth and final production of its 36th season, the classy, sassy musical, THE ALL NIGHT STRUT!, conceived by Fran Charnas, directed & choreographed by Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel (Jay Johnson: The Two and Only!) with musical direction by Dean Mora.

On Saturday March 5 comic actor Jim J. Bullock debuted a whole new cabaret act entitled Different @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Expecting the silly, over-the-top zaniness that has characterized Bullock's work on TV and stage over the past 30 years, the audience was blown away by his ferocity, warmth and sincerity as a serious performer. deed, Bullock set out to show a different side of himself, and he succeeded admirably. This is a fine actor with a great set of pipes who knows how to nail the substance of a song and then send it soaring. Careful not to begin with an overly dramatic tune, he grabbed the audience with the humor of Harry Warren's classic 'Keep Young and Beautiful' and then continued with a comic torch song 'Newt' which he had performed in Mark Waldrop's When Pigs Fly a few years back. If you're going to do something different, better to start with the familiar and take the dramatic turns little by little, which is the way Bullock proceeded. It worked beautifully!