Mark Campbell News

As much as I enjoy listening to some Kander and Ebb anytime, it's very refreshing to see a young performer do a complete show about New York without hearing that all-too-familiar vamp. Making his cabaret debut with a one-night gig at The Metropolitan Room, Ben Cherry shows himself to be an engaging performer with an attractive light baritone, but more importantly, displays a knowledge of the necessities of cabaret performance that often eludes beginners in the field.

Kaufman Center and New York Festival of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), will present Voices of the Jewish Diaspora on Tuesday and Thursday, February 10 and 12, at 8 PM at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center. It is the third subscription program this season for the New York Festival of Song, whose 2008 CD Spanish Love Songs, featuring Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Joseph Kaiser, Steven Blier and Michael Barrett (Bridge Records) was named one of the 'Best Of the Year' by Opera News. The program features songs in many languages celebrating the culturally diverse Jewish communities that flourished as the tribes of Israel spread out across the globe: Sephardic melodies arranged by Roberto Sierra; Second Avenue specialties by Irving Berlin and Abraham Ellstein; art songs by Ravel and Mahler; plus music by Gershwin, Bernstein, and Harold Rome.

Jonathan Whitton (2008 Bistro & MAC Award Winner) continues the encore run of his acclaimed cabaret evening, SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre Thursdays, November 13 & 20 @ 7PM.

New York Festival of Song, whose recent 'A Bernstein/Bolcom Celebration' was performed with 'Comic and dramatic flair,'(The New York Times) presents Fugitives, songs by composers who fled Hitler's Europe, on November 18 and 20 at the newly restored Merkin Concert Hall in New York. The program will feature music from Broadway, the concert stage and Berlin cabaret by Kurt Weill, Erich Korngold, Alexander Zemlinsky and many others.

Joe's Pub at the Public Theater celebrates its 10th Anniversary from September through December. The 10th Anniversary Weekend kicks off the celebration on Friday, October 9, with the 10th Anniversary Gala: Tribute to Judy Collins featuring Judy Collins, Eric Andersen, Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Mary Gauthier and John Martyn.

Presented by Diodati Productions, Villa Diodati has music by Mira J. Spektor, lyrics by Colette Inez, book by Colette Inez & Mira J. Spektor with additional lyrics by Byron, Shelley, Spektor & Wordsworth and will be directed by Rob Urbinati with musical direction by Thomas Carlo Bo. Villa Diodati is an official selection of the 2008 New York Music Theatre Festival and will be performed at the 45th Street Theatre (354 W 45 Street).

Prospect Theater Company's 10th anniversary concert will be held Sept. 21 at Off-Broadway's 37 Arts. Falsettos' Stephen Bogardus will host the 9 PM concert, which will boast the talents of David Abeles, Jim Bauer, Jennifer Blood, Matt Cavenaugh, Gavin Creel, Jennifer Damiano, Malcolm Gets, Piper Goodeve, Adam Jacobs, Jose Llana, Jeff McCarthy, Meghan McGeary, Mark Mozingo, Brian Munn and Liz Power as well as members of the cast of the upcoming Prospect production of Illyria: Dan Sharkey, Ryan Dietz, Jim Poulos and Tina Stafford. 37 Arts is located in Manhattan at 450 West 37th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. Tickets, priced $25, can be purchased by calling (212) 352-3101 or by visiting www.nymf.org.

Jonathan Whitton (2008 Bistro & MAC Award Winner) returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre throughout October & November for four encore performances of his acclaimed cabaret evening: SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

Presented by Diodati Productions, Villa Diodati has music by Mira J. Spektor, lyrics by Colette Inez, book by Colette Inez & Mira J. Spektor with additional lyrics by Byron, Shelley, Spektor & Wordsworth and will be directed by Rob Urbinati with musical direction by Thomas Carlo Bo. Villa Diodati is an official selection of the 2008 New York Music Theatre Festival and will be performed at the 45th Street Theatre (354 W 45 Street).

Michael Winther and Kimberly Grigsby present 'New Love Songs' on Monday, June 30th at 9:30pm at The Metropolitan Room.

Michael Winther and Kimberly Grigsby, piano present 'New Love Songs' on Wednesday, June 18th, 7:30pm, Monday, June 23rd, 9:30pm (with special guest, SALLY WILFERT), Wednesday, June 25th, 7:30pm, and Monday, June 30th, 9:30pm (with special guest, SALLY WILFERT) at The Metropolitan Room.

Michael Winther and Kimberly Grigsby, piano present 'New Love Songs' on Wednesday, June 18th, 7:30pm, Monday, June 23rd, 9:30pm (with special guest, SALLY WILFERT), Wednesday, June 25th, 7:30pm, and Monday, June 30th, 9:30pm (with special guest, SALLY WILFERT) at The Metropolitan Room.

'Three Lost Cords A Trio of Solo Operas' returns to the zipper starting 3/30.

The Festival of New American Musicals, a two-month musical theatre festival, will be held in May and June, 2008, throughout Southern California. Marcia Seligson and Bob Klein are the Executive Producers of the Festival.

Jonathan Whitton (2008 Bistro Award Winner -Outstanding Debut) returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre on Thursday, March 27 with the debut of his new cabaret evening: 'Something Beautiful.'

The Zipper Factory presents a wide-range of variety shows for in the theatre in March 2008, including The Wau Wau Sisters, Megan Mullally, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Joy Behar, 'Don't Quit Your Night Job' and 'Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower.'

This month you can join Broadway actor-singer, Michael Winther (Mamma Mia, 1776, Songs From An Unmade Bed) and one of Broadway's top musical directors, Kimberly Grigsby (Grease, Spring Awakening, Light In The Piazza) with special guest, Sally Wilfert (William Finn's Make Me A Song) for a unique, romantic evening of new love songs by some of our best contemporary theater composers and lyricists. Among the songwriters represented will be Deborah Abramson, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Jason Robert Brown, Mark Campbell, William Finn, Jenny Giering, Ricky Ian Gordan, Adam Guettel, Fred Hersch, Steve Marzullo, Chris Miller, Joe Thalken and more. The songs were selected especially for Valentine's week.

New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) continues its 20th Anniversary season by presenting Bastianello and Lucrezia, two newly commissioned comic operas by composers John Musto and William Bolcom with libretti by Mark Campbell. The concerts will take place on Tuesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 13 at 8PM, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, West 57th Street and 7th Avenue.

Jonathan Whitton returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre on February 15 for a one-night-only musical event with an evening of new music.

The Zipper Factory Theater will present two special 'first look' presentations of Three Lost Chords, a trio of solo operas on January 7 and January 9.