Melissa Manchester News

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced complete casting for Hairspray in Concert, featuring some of Seattle's favorite musical theatre stars and the powerful voices of the 250-member Seattle Men's Chorus. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hairspray's 2002 Broadway debut, this unique concert event will play for six very special performances of glorious and irreverent John Waters-inspired wackiness (Friday-Sunday, June 20-23). In 2002, Hairspray was The 5th Avenue Theatre's first world premiere musical to head for Broadway where it won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Musical and launched The 5th's unprecedented track record for sending new works to New York. Now the smash hit musical comes home, as audiences have never seen it before.

Thirty years after directing and choreographing the Odyssey Theatre's award-winning West Coast premiere, and following a wildly successful Off Broadway revival at the York Theatre last season, Bill Castellino reunites with musical directorGerald Sternbach to charm audiences with a revitalized, updated version of Ionescopade at theOdyssey Theatre beginning May 31.

The Barns at Wolf Trap Welcomes a GRAMMY-Winning Songstress, a Celebrated Pop-Rock Sensation, and a Cabaret Queen.

The Barns at Wolf Trap has announced the following upcoming performances.

The 28th Annual Bistro Awards gala, set to take place tonight, March 4, has announced some of its main presenters. Unlike most other awards show, the Bistro Awards is an evening filled with great performances from the winners - stars as well as talented newcomers - who represent a wide variety of styles from the worlds of cabaret, comedy, and jazz.

Cabaret Icon Michael Feinstein returns to the McCallum Theatre with 'The Sinatra Project,' for two performances - tonight, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 -- dedicated to the great Frank Sinatra. Michael reflects Sinatra's sensibility by interpreting the songs in conceptually different styles from Sinatra's own renditions. The results are fascinatingly unique and memorably beautiful. Billed 'The Sinatra Project', the concert is presented in two parts on these consecutive evenings. In the second concert, Michael reinterprets songs by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, and more. 'The second volume is really about Sinatra and his friends,' says Michael. 'It's about the people he influenced and who influenced him.'

Legacy Recordings is proud to announce a brand-new series of playlists created by legendary music executive Clive Davis, appearing exclusively on 'The Legacy Of' app on digital music subscription service Spotify. The creation of the playlists coincides with the publication of Davis' long-awaited autobiography, The Soundtrack Of My Life (Simon & Schuster).

Legacy Recordings is proud to announce a brand-new series of playlists created by legendary music executive Clive Davis, appearing exclusively on 'The Legacy Of' app on digital music subscription service Spotify. The creation of the playlists coincides with the publication of Davis' long-awaited autobiography, The Soundtrack Of My Life(Simon & Schuster).

The 28th Annual Bistro Awards gala, set to take place on Monday, March 4, has announced some of its main presenters. Unlike most other awards show, the Bistro Awards is an evening filled with great performances from the winners - stars as well as talented newcomers - who represent a wide variety of styles from the worlds of cabaret, comedy, and jazz.

Actress, singer-songwriter and musician Melissa Manchester returns to the Suncoast Showroom March 30 and 31.

Cabaret Icon Michael Feinstein returns to the McCallum Theatre with 'The Sinatra Project,' for two performances - Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 -- dedicated to the great Frank Sinatra. Michael reflects Sinatra's sensibility by interpreting the songs in conceptually different styles from Sinatra's own renditions. The results are fascinatingly unique and memorably beautiful. Billed 'The Sinatra Project', the concert is presented in two parts on these consecutive evenings. In the second concert, Michael reinterprets songs by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, and more. 'The second volume is really about Sinatra and his friends,' says Michael. 'It's about the people he influenced and who influenced him.'

Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York (MTA) and Metro-North Railroad open Grand Central Terminal to the public on February 1, 2013 for the celebration of its 100th Anniversary with a full day of activities, including a morning public rededication ceremony and musical performances that will keep visitors entertained well into the evening.

Legendary singer-actress Lainie Kazan and versatile performer Maurice Hines will be honored, along with 16 others, at the 28th Annual Bistro Awards gala, which recognizes outstanding achievement in New York cabaret, jazz, and comedy. The celebration will take place on Monday, March 4 at Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd Street (between 7th & 8th avenues).

2012 marked the passing of a number of notable entertainment icons whose influence will be felt for centuries to come, yet unquestionably one of the most pertinent people to pass on insofar as Broadway babies were concerned given his considerable contributions to musical theatre (and far, far beyond) was the one and only EGOT-plus recipient himself - that is: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony-winner; plus a spare Pulitzer Prize, in his case, as a matter of fact - legendary composer/conductor/arranger Marvin Hamlisch. And, last night, byway of PBS and Live From Lincoln Center, audiences across the country were treated to a live gala event celebrating his tremendous Broadway and Hollywood legacy - ONE SINGULAR SENSATION: CELEBRATING MARVIN HAMLISCH. Highlights of the star-studded night included SMASH Brian D'arcy James on a song he debuted in Hamlisch's short-running SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, Michael Feinstein with an emotional take on Hamlisch's self-professed favorite self-penned song, Raul Esparza and Kelli O'Hara on two obscure SWEET SMELL gems and Maria Friedman with a song from Hamlisch's forthcoming musical THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, with book and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, based on the comedic cinema classic by Jerry Lewis, with the moment of the night owing to O'Hara and McDonald joining SMASH lead Megan Hilty on a spine-tingling iteration of the stunning A CHORUS LINE trio "At The Ballet". Through the ears of Marvin, last night we were reminded that nobody did it quite like he did while remembering the way we were - and what we won't forget - while being entertained by some of the best songs of the last century offered by New York's finest performers, musicians and creative talents.

The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) will kick off its 34th Season when it returns to the Alex Theatre (216 N. Brand Boulevard) in Glendale, CA on December 15th and 16th for its annual holiday musical extravaganza, "Holiday Spectacular 2012," with special guests Creative Planet School of the Arts.