Liza Minnelli News

On Monday August 13th, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal is proud to present Cortes Alexander in "The Swell Show". The show features songs from his debut cd aptly called "SWELL" as well as a mixture of standards & originals. Musical direction is by Ross Kalling & co stars Melissa Bailey & Jennifer Rappo as his "Swell Girls."

SG Productions and the Arts Theatre present DRAG DIVAS, opening on 9th August 2012.

NiCori Studios and Productions in association with Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center announces a new installment in the monthly concert series, 'Music at the Mansion,' today, July 29, at 3pm. Performers to include musical theater performer Gerardo Mastrolia, cabaret singer Fran Leonardis and award winning guitarist Sean Harkness.

Harry Melling - best known for playing Dudley Dursley in five of the HARRY POTTER films - is to play Christopher Isherwood in I am a Camera, which will run in a three-week season at The Vault at Southwark Playhouse, from Wednesday September 5 - Saturday September 22.

Dubbed "The greatest white female singer in the world" by none other than Ella Fitzgerald, star vocalist Marilyn Maye took Provincetown audiences by storm in her long anticipated debut at The Art House last season. She returns to The Art House by popular demand this summer on August 7th and 8th at 7:00 PM featuring Billy Stritch on the piano.

The recent nationwide appearances, from New York to Los Angeles, by singer and actress Barbara Van Orden and author Patty Farmer, on behalf of her critically acclaimed book "The Persian Room Presents" has spawned a collaboration on a new book, currently under the working title of 'Playboy On Stage.'

On Wednesday, September 5 at 7:30pm at NYU's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place), dance icon Mikhail Baryshnikov will be honored at the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation's "Bright Lights Shining Stars" Gala where he will receive their prestigious Ambassador for the Arts Award which will be presented to him by longtime friend and colleague Liza Minnelli.

Les Michaels Sundays In Summer at the Arthur Newman Theater in Palm Desert will present the multitalented impressionist Bethany Owen direct from the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Peter Mac, tribute artist performs as: Liza Minnelli every Thursday & Friday nights at 8pm and Judy Garland every Saturday at 8pm and Sunday nights at 6pm at the Peter Mac's Supper Club Theater located inside The French Market Restaurant in West Hollywood, CA.

If you're looking for some cool cabaret/nightclub shows over the next month, try these on for size: Darren Williams (July 26) and Lauren Robert (August 7) are ready to rock Iridium, while two lovely ladies of cabaret will be featured at Feinstein's: Karen Oberlin (July 24-28) and Raissa Katona Bennett (August 21-25).

Actress & Author, Geri Jewell was at last weeks opening night performance of Peter Mac as Liza Minnelli in LIZA: LIVE IN CONCERT. Jewell is best known for her character Cousin Geri on 'The Facts of Life'.

A longtime member of the 'Mamma Mia' cast on tour and Bway, Erica's now performing in her 2nd straight Rob Ashford-choreographed show.

Mario Cantone, star of TV's Sex and the City, Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, and Broadways Assassins and Laugh Whore, for which he was Tony-nominated, will join the Broadway at The Art House series for two shows only, on Aug 4 & 5, joined by host Seth Rudetsky at the piano.

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced the ten actors who will participate in the 2012 Lunt- Fontanne Fellowship Program, a widely acclaimed national program to serve the future of American theatre. Today, July 22-July 29, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellows will join Broadway legend Joel Grey for an intensive, weeklong master class and immersion experience at Ten Chimneys, the National Historic Landmark estate of Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Genesee Depot, Wisconsin.

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced that Washington, D.C. actors E. Faye Butler, Christopher Bloch, and Brad Oscar have been selected as 2012 Lunt-Fontanne Fellows.

On Monday, August 13, Broadway at Birdland presents multi-Grammy and Tony-nominated composer Frank Wildhorn in his monthly concert series called "Frank & Friends." Joining Frank onstage will be Constantine Maroulis (upcoming star of Jekyll & Hyde), Laura Osnes (Tony nominee/Bonnie & Clyde and upcoming Cinderella), Melissa van der Schyff (Bonnie & Clyde) and Stark Sands (upcoming Kinky Boots).

Tonight, July 20th at 8pm a mixture of Broadway talent and nightlife personas will gather at Elmo is Chelsea to celebrate the 25th Year of Marti Gould Cummings, Brad Gardner, and Joey Contreras. This annual triple birthday event will feature some of NYC's brightest talents celebrating these three young men. Elmo is located in Chelsea on 19th Street and 7th Avenue.

Today we are talking to Patricia Kelly, the widow of one of the most iconic and influential performers in entertainment history, Gene Kelly, all about her husband's incomparable career on Broadway and in Hollywood, in honor of his centennial. Tracing Gene Kelly's journey from his theatre roots starring in Cole Porter's LEAVE IT TO ME!, Rodgers & Hart's PAL JOEY and William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE on Broadway to his unforgettable screen appearances in many of the greatest movie musicals ever made - COVER GIRL, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE PIRATE, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and many more included - Mrs. Kelly gives us a look into the life of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. In addition to behind-the-scenes stories involving Kelly's frequent collaborators - such as esteemed director Vincente Minnelli, songwriter and producer Arthur Freed, arranger Saul Chaplin and others - Mrs. Kelly also shares candid anecdotes involving her husband's involvement with directing Rodgers & Hammerstein's FLOWER DRUM SONG on Broadway, helming the feature film adaptation of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Barbra Streisand, as well as his appearing in two idiosyncratic movie musicals later in his life, LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT) for Jacques Demy, as well as his au revoir to movie musicals in form of the Olivia Newton-John roller disco starrer XANADU. Additionally, Mrs. Kelly fills us in on all the details about this weekend's two-night Gene Kelly retrospective celebration, which she leads and narrates, as part of GENE KELLY @ 100 and her future plans for the multimedia presentation - each evening titled AN EVENING OF GENE KELLY and CHANGING THE LOOK OF DANCE ON FILM, respective - as she begins to tour the show across the country. Plus, reflections on SINGIN' IN THE RAIN's 60th anniversary and the recent Fathom HD premiere presentation in theaters, the impact of Kelly's work behind the camera, his choreographic legacy, what a legend is like at home, memories of attending the opening night of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (starring HELLO, DOLLY! lead Michael Crawford), what the master would say about GLEE, SMASH, BUNHEADS and today's movie musical renaissance, as well as much, much more!