Loni Ackerman News

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This Week: June is bustin' out all over and the birds are flying down to Rio!

Audiences across America remember Nancy Dussault as Ted Knight's wife in TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT, Alan Arkin's wife in THE IN-LAWS, and as the original host of GOOD MORNING AMERICA. But before Nancy became a television and movie legend, she was heralded for her Broadway performances in DO-RE-MI, BAJOUR, and countless others!

Kyle Scatliffe (The Color Purple, Les Miserables) joins the cast of DUETS with thewriteteachers.com: LGBTQ+ Edition, at Birdland Jazz on August 8th.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This Week: FLOYD COLLINS gets stuck in a cave and Ethel Merman gets stuck in a sitcom!

Tony Award Nominee Adrienne Warren (Shuffle Along) joins the cast of DUETS with thewriteteachers.com: LGBTQ+ Edition, at Birdland Jazz on August 8th. DUETS with thewriteteachers.com: LGBTQ+ Edition is proudly presented by the Broadway at Birdland concert series. This one-night-only event will benefit the One Orlando Fund. 

There are three types of musical theatre lovers: Fan, Obsessed, and Stephen Cole. Stephen, who has had a wonderfully varied career as a lyricist and librettist, invited Rob & Kevin over to the musical theatre mecca he calls his apartment to talk about the craft of writing, meeting Merman, and how social media sites, like Facebook's Forgotten Musicals page, is uniting musical theatre fans from across the globe!

The Broadway at Birdland concert series is proud to present DUETS with thewriteteachers.com Volume 4, in a special LGBTQ+ Edition.  This one-night-only event will benefit the One Orlando Fund.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week Behind the Curtain celebrates two great comediennes of the American Musical Theatre, Dorothy Loudon and JUNO!

George Lee Andrews holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most performances in the same Broadway show, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. But, before he won that honor, he was Broadway's go-to character actor appearing in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, STARTING HERE, and ON THE 20TH CENTURY.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week, they discuss the joys of intimate musicals, including 'They're Playing Our Song' and 'Spitfire Grill.'

Sweeney Todd. Frederik Egerman. Bill Samson. All of these roles, plus many others, were first brought to life by Tony Award winner Len Cariou. Sweeney Todd. Frederik Egerman. Bill Samson. All of these roles, plus many others, were first brought to life by Tony Award winner Len Cariou. Len dropped by Shetler Studios to share memories of his incredible career, including tackling Shakespeare, Sondheim, and everything in between.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This Week: A book that needs to be revised and a musical that needs to be revived!

She was Arthur Miller's sister, a victim of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and one of New York's most respected actresses. Joan Copeland is a living legend whose career includes standing by for Vivien Leigh and Katherine Hepburn, sharing the stage with Danny Kaye, and bringing the words of her brother to vivid theatrical life.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business.

It's Tony Time so its time to place your bets! Who will win? Who will lose? Who wasn't nominated? Who should be nominated? Rob, Kevin, and Tony historian Bryan Hobgood, debate the 2015-2016 Theatre season in two episodes and predict who will walk away with the coveted Tony Award!

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This episode: Robert and Kevin discuss the brilliant lyrics of both Dorothy Fields & Corky St. Clair via SEESAW and WAITING FOR GUFFMAN.

Howard McGillin holds the record for the most performances as The Phantom in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. But, before he sang The Music Of The Night over 2,000 times, Howard starred in THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, ANYTHING GOES, and many others!

The spirit of jazz legends Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald (with a little Tito Puente) was palpable in the Milton Berle room at New York's Friars Club on April 25 for the second-annual production of Triple Threats. Broadway veterans (including Duke's granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington, who also co-produced the show) joined some of America's most accomplished jazz musicians to celebrate the April birthdays of the music greats and to honor those performers who sing, dance, and act at the highest levels.

Last night Mercedes Ellington granddaughter of Duke Ellington and president and founder of The Duke Ellington Center For The Arts along with co-producer Judi Marks hosted a Triple Threat musical celebration at the legendary Friars Club.  It was a special evening that featured performances of the music of the three giants of Jazz and BroadwayWorld was there.

How many of these great songs do you know from underappreciated musicals?