Laurie Wells News

The Broadway World Award nominees for BEST REVUE are some of the best entertainment to be found on the small venue stages, year in and year out. Audiences try to never miss these group shows with particular themes.

The Broadway World Awards had a flood of nominations for singers working with a company of other performers who caught the attention of someone in the audience. These videos will show why.

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts today announced that the nonprofit cultural organization, together with a talented collection of Broadway stars, Emmy and Tony winners, and songwriters, will present Broadway Boosts Bethel on October 22nd at 7:00 PM.

Continuing our ongoing look at the great wealth of talent in the cabaret community, Stephen Mosher provides another Pandemic Playlist

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater have announced their lineup of artists for March 16 through March 29: 

Birdland collects songs about NYC in the return of the three-singer revue New York: Big City Songbook the same week that Marilyn Maye reigned supreme once again at Dizzy's. Lots of solid entertainment.

On this special 50th episode of West of Broadway, we head east to the 5th annual Broadway Con in New York City to celebrate musical theater with thousands of super fans! This being our 50th episode, we wanted to do something special, so we caught up with Broadway veteran Laurie Wells to talk careers, our love for musical theater and her partnership with a brand-new mentoring app called Shadow Star!

Birdland Jazz Club and Birdland Theater are pleased to present the schedule for the month of February! At Birdland Jazz Club, catch the iconic Lionel Hampton Big Band Featuring Jason Marsalis, current GRAMMY nominee Catherine Russell, the Birdland debut of AGUAS Trio with Omar Sosa, Yilian Cañizares and Gustavo Ovalles, and iconic vocalist Jane Monheit. Internationally recognized trumpeter Rachel Therrien, the Seth Weaver Big Band, and The Voice contestant Melinda Rose Rodriguez will also be performing upstairs. 

Stephen Mosher looks back at the cabaret scene, as captured by his camera in 2019

The revue NEW YORK: BIG CITY SONGBOOK may be a perfect musical guide for tourists, but anyone who loves NYC is going to love this show in residence at famed Birdland nightclub.

Deborah Grace Winer kicks off a new season of the monthly love letter to New York City, when the acclaimed musical revue 'NEW YORK: BIG CITY SONGBOOK' returns to Birdland Theatre on Sunday, November 3rd at 7 pm starring Klea Blackhurst, Nicolas King and Laurie Wells plus Joe Davidian on piano and Jay Leonhart on bass and vocals. Mark Waldrop directs with musical arrangements by John Oddo. Birdland is located at 315 West 44th Street, NYC. www.birdlandjazz.com

Disney's Freaky Friday just opened at North Shore Music Theatre. Based on the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. It was then made into a movie by Disney in 1976 staring Jody Foster and Barbara Harris, with a less memorable movie remake in 2018. It is now a newly created, fun family musical with all the bells and whistles.

Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY is now playing at North Shore Music Theatre thru July 21 2019. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit nsmt.org, or visit the box office at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA.

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) continues the 2019 Musical Season with Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY, a brand-new motherdaughter body swap musical playing for two-weeks only from Tuesday, July 9 thru Sunday, July 21, 2019. Disney's FREAKY FRIDAY is sponsored by Big Jim's Auto Body.

As the sixth annual New Works Now new play festival commences, Northern Stage is thrilled to announce its third Off-Broadway production, Only Yesterday by Hollywood writer Bob Stevens, and bring another world premiere to the main stage, Venus Rising by local playwright Marisa Smith.

The Resident Theatre Company presents 'Lend Me a Tenor', the show that catapulted RTC Founder Kristin McLaughlin Mitchell's directing career when she joined the directing team of the Broadway production. 'Lend Me a Tenor', is a hilarious farce complete with comic mishaps, elaborate costumes, surprising plot twists, slamming doors and mistaken identities.

Lend me a Tenor is an ebullient and highly professional production. The Resident Theater Company have a hit on their hands, and the town of West Chester should be proud to own a tiny slice of Broadway.

On this episode of West of Broadway, we catch up with our very first guest, Laurie Wells and we introduce our listeners to our new correspondent Jennifer Lynn O'Hara.

In 1928, George Gershwin composed 'An American in Paris' inspired by the time he spent there. It wasn't until 1951 that An American in Paris hit the movie screen starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron as directed by Vincente Minnelli.