Peter Allen News

To paraphrase a Peter Allen song, she could have been a sailor. Instead, she chose to sail the open seas. And now she's singing about it. It all made for a promising theme for the Manhattan cabaret debut of Robyn McCorquodale and her series of four April shows, Diary Of A Piano Girl, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Pert, lively and totally likable, she shared her stories fused with original songs about wanderlust in which all roads eventually lead back home. From the opening number to closing with "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," her only familiar entry, she took a circuitous route with visits to numerous ports of call. New to our local cabaret shores, but no stranger to entertaining, she's made her mark in the Big Apple with this outing.

In the famous 1960s hit 'Is That All There Is?' by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Peggy Lee croons the melancholy lyric, 'If that's all there is, my friend, then, let's keep dancing. Let's break out the booze and have a ball, if that's all there is.' While this song ironically doesn't make it into the eclectic catalog of tunes that fuel THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH: AN APOCALYPTIC VAUDEVILLE, currently in its world premiere at the A.R.T. in Cambridge, it could easily have become the show's theme song. When a flood of epic proportions wipes out all but two scraggly survivors, played as a pair of Estragon and Vladimir-style hobos by Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac, there is very little left for them to do but sing and dance.

The Broadway company of the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical Chicago will welcome back Latin-American star Marco Zunino in the role of "that silver-tongued prince of the courtroom" Billy Flynn for 16 performances only, June 1-14, 2015 at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St., NYC).

Feinstein's at the Nikko is thrilled to welcome the return of San Francisco's own legendary, award-winning, extraordinary performer Connie Champagne for one performance only of her acclaimed show Beyond the Rainbow: The Best of Connie Champagne as Judy Garland tonight, May 14 at 8 p.m.

According to Variety, Hugh Jackman and Rooney Mara have signed on to lead the next film from director Alfonso Gomez-Rejoin (ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL).

The Program Launch for the second half of 2015 shows that the Independent Music Theatre team comprising Luckiest Productions (David Campbell, Lisa Campbell and Richard Carroll), Neglected Musicals (Michelle Guthrie), and Neil Gooding Productions, the driving force behind Hayes Theatre Company, have no intention of slowing down are staying true to their vision to provide a permanent home for small-scale musical theatre and cabaret.

Four recent shows at Don't Tell Mama featured performers either making their debuts on the New York cabaret scene (Evelyn Sullivan and Erin McCracken) or who returned this spring in hopeful anticipation of sharing their artistic vision with audiences (Rob Sutton and Eve Eaton). They no doubt experienced the usual anxiety, trials and tribulations before ultimately taking the stage. And they've come out on the other side relatively unscathed. 

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. The Jeff Awards stir things up, 'Louis & Keely' and 'Sounds So Sweet' evoke mid-century entertainment, Waa-Mu takes on the Berlin Olympics, a new Chicago-based revue in Edgewater, 'Chaperone' and 'Music Man' in the suburbs, 'The Boy From Oz' in a local production, 'Matilda' will tour, 'Amazing Grace' sets a Broadway run, and Circle Theatre re-emerges. Whew!

Pride Films & Plays is excited to announce a new production of Design for Living, a sexy and seductive revival of this Noel Coward classic which will be directed by PFP Artistic Associate Derek Bertelsen, and running at Rivendell Theater from October 22 to November 22. The press opening is Saturday, October 24 at 7:30.

What They Did For Love: The Songs of Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach continues at the Quality Hill Playhouse, 303 W. 10th, through May 17. J. Kent Barnhart, Producing Artistic Director of the Playhouse, accompanies Melinda MacDonald, Tim Noland, and LeShea Wright, on piano and vocally. Barnhart emcees the production displaying his wit and sense of humor as he reveals often little known history about the songs and their creators.

Pride Films and Plays will conclude its remarkable Summer Season with The Boy From Oz, the Broadway musical which tells the amazing life story of celebrated songwriter and performer Peter Allen. Featuring songs by Peter Allen, book by Martin Sherman and Nick Enright, Direction by David Zak, and Musical Direction by Robert Ollis, The Boy From Oz tells the exuberant yet heart-warming true story of a young Australian boy who loved to perform and ended up in the glamorous orbit of Judy Garland and her soon-to-be famous daughter Liza.

It was more than fitting that the New York cabaret community should honor the late Jerry Scott last Saturday night at Parnell's--the last piano bar that Jerry played before he died in April, 2013 at 67. To honor Jerry's memory and his lifetime of achievements, three devoted friends, cabaret reviewer John Hoglund, Allan Armour, and Geri Malino produced The First Annual Jerry Scott Memorial Award Show. This yearly event will not only pay tribute to Jerry's extraordinary talent, but the award will be presented to an exceptional entertainer/performer in the Manhattan Piano Bar/Lounge/Restaurant scene. The first recipient of the aptly named “Bronze Piano” was Bobby Peaco, a well-respected member of the New York cabaret community for more than 20 years.

Feinstein's at the Nikko is thrilled to welcome the return of San Francisco's own legendary, award-winning, extraordinary performer Connie Champagne for one performance only of her acclaimed show Beyond the Rainbow: The Best of Connie Champagne as Judy Garland on Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m.

It's almost inconceivable that Joshua Warr, one of the current cabaret scene's truest powerhouses since his award-nominated debut some seasons ago, is at once so young, so accomplished, so poised and confident, and so adept at bringing a true sense of artistic sensibility to the arena unseen since the glory days of such 1970s clubs as Reno Sweeney and The Grand Finale. But with his new show at 54 Below, he hits it out of the park at every turn.

Acting Dead, a web series created by Brian Beacock and produced by Beacock, Susan Bernhardt, and Paul Nygro, won four Indie Series Awards (ISA) at the sixth annual ceremony

Singer and actress Julie Wilson, arguably one of the greatest cabaret chanteuses to grace a stage, died early this morning at the age of 90, according to her long time accompanist and friend Christopher Denny, who posted the news on his Facebook page. As of 8:45 this morning, the news of Wilson's death had not yet broken through major news outlets. Denny reported that Wilson 'died peacefully, surrounded by people who loved her, after having sustained two strokes over the last several days.' Up until the past couple of months of her life, the energetic Wilson was still being seen at various cabaret shows around town and supporting the new breed of stars, recently having the time of her life at a Mark Nadler show at the York Theatre.

TheatreZone founder and artistic director Mark Danni today unveiled his musical selections for the non-profit Equity professional theatre group's 11th consecutive season opening with legendary composer Marvin Hamlisch's final Broadway show Sweet Smell of Success on January 7, 2016 closely followed by The Boy From Oz in February, Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods in March and concluding with the tap dancing comedic gem Dames at Sea in May.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

On Twitter Watch, Hugh Jackman wrote 'Merhaba. I have a left vocal hemorrhage. At advice of Dr. Kocak Dr Korovin I will cancel my shows in Turkey. Make no mistake, I'll be back!

The Royal Shakespeare Company, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel & Michael Watt today announced four of the principal cast for the Australian Premiere Season of Matilda The Musical, which commences performances from July 28 in Sydney.