Ray Charles News

Five Boroughs Music Festival's 2014-2015 Season continues in late October with baroque specialists AERIS (www.aerismusic.com), to be presented in three different boroughs over three days.

This October 2014, Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris opens at the Charing Cross Theatre for a strictly limited six-week run from 16 October to 22 November 2014. Press night is set for Saturday 18 October at 7.45pm. Directed by multi-award-winning director Andrew Keates, the production features an all-star cast of Daniel Boys (Avenue Q, Spamalot, Love Story - also well-known from BBC's Any Dream Will Do, 2007), David Burt (The Merchant of Venice, The Beggars People, Plague Over England), Eve Polycarpou (In The Heights, Mother Courage, Jacques Brel - National Theatre, 1970s) and Gina Beck (Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Les Mise?rables).

The Venetian Las Vegas will GEORGIA ON MY MIND: Celebrating The Music of Ray Charles. Starring award-winning artists Clint Holmes, TAKE 6, Nnenna Freelon, Kirk Whalum, with special guests The Las Vegas Mass Choir and Las Vegas All-Star Big Band, the show runs today, September 18 through October 29.

After a successful run on 'America's Got Talent,' Tim Hockenberry is back home in San Francisco making his debut at Feinstein's at the Nikko for two performances only - Saturday, October 25 (7 p.m.) and Sunday, October 26 (7 p.m.). Hockenberry will present an intimate concert of both original material and beautifully re-imagined covers. Tickets for Tim Hockenberry range in price from $25-$40 and are available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

The Venetian Las Vegas will GEORGIA ON MY MIND: Celebrating The Music of Ray Charles. Starring award-winning artists Clint Holmes, TAKE 6, Nnenna Freelon, Kirk Whalum, with special guests The Las Vegas Mass Choir and Las Vegas All-Star Big Band, the show runs September 18 through October 29.

Trouble in Paradise, the new CD from acclaimed singer Isabel Rose is a top-drawer musical event. Produced by Bob Rock (Michael Buble, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Cher), it will be released on September 16th by BDG/RED, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

Here at BroadwayWorld.com, we could not be more excited about the upcoming September 16 release of the highly anticipated latest album, PARTNERS, from Broadway's greatest export, Barbra Streisand. In honor of the album's 12 brand new duets, we are counting down with 12 days of Barbra! To pre-order the album, click here for Amazon.com, iTunes.com or to order direct. Today we are focusing our attention on the starry collection of collaborators on the new album from the recording icon.

The Recording Academy has issued a statement on the passsing of jazz legend Gerald Wilson. The composer, arranger, big-band leader and musician passed away on Monday in Los Angeles at the age of 96.

Now in it's sixth season, The Fire This Time Festival will welcome seven new playwrights into the family, January 19-February 8 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery). Aziza Barnes (me Aunt Jemima and the nailgun, published by Button Poetry Press), Rod Gailes OBC (COLORS: Dream Of the MASTA), Julienne L. Hairston (Ababuo in Project Y's Racey Play Reading Festival), Daaimah Mubashshir (Video Clare with Manhattan Repertory Theatre), Azure D. Osborne-Lee (member of EMERGENYC and Rising Circle Theater Collective's INKtank), Larry Powell (Dreams of a Prophet) and James Anthony Tyler (Some Old Black Man starring Arthur French at La MaMa). These playwrights will present an evening of ten-minute plays, each inspired by one of Alex Harsley's original photographs. More of Harsley's pieces will be featured at the TFTT festival kick-off event this fall, in which he and the playwrights will be introduced to the Horse Trade Theater Group and 4th Street Arts Block community.

Chili Challis, nationally known comic and former writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, will headline The Uncle Hippie Show, a night of standup at The Mix Studio Theater, 8 N. Washington Street in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with featured guest Thaddeus Nathaniel Challis and local comedienne Germaine Gebhard, one night only, September 20, 2014 at 8pm. Tickets are $15 General Admission, $10 Seniors and Students with ID, and are available on-line at www.emergentarts.com.

BWW Interviews: Chase Padgett Kicks It Up in NASHVILLE HURRICANE

Bryan Adams has announced he will bring his highly successful solo-acoustic “Bare Bones” tour to Detroit with a special, intimate concert at the Fox Theatre on Tuesday, October 21 at 8 p.m.

Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey presents Michael Mcdonald and Toto tonight, September 3, 2014 at 7:30PM.

Playwright Chip Deffaa says he never dreamed, when his musical play "One Night with Fanny Brice," first opened Off-Broadway at St. Luke's Theater in the 2011-2012 season, that the starring role would someday be played by a teenager. Over the past three years, stars in their 30s, 40s, and 60s have played the show, which transferred in 2013 to the 13th Street Repertory Theater. Chloe Brooks, who now stars in the show, after previously serving as an understudy, is just 17.

There is a hot new room in town for music and cabaret. Room 53 (314 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019) is a no cover, no drink minimum wine bar (great beers on tap too!) with amazing food influenced by French and Moroccan Cuisine. Tonight, August 29, piano / singer, Walt Frasier delivers a wide variety of music with special guests from Broadway and cabaret. From 8pm until midnight, Mr Frasier will play and sing rock, blues, Broadway, Jazz and even some Opera.

There is No Town Like Motown! Saycon Sengbloh (Hollar If Ya Hear Me, Motown, Fela), Marty Thomas (Pageant:The Musical, Xanadu, Wicked) and more are set to perform for Motown's First Baby Shower, honoring N'Kenge 'Mary Wells' (Motown: The Musical, Sondheim on Sondheim).

There is a hot new room in town for music and cabaret. Room 53 (314 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019) is a no cover, no drink minimum wine bar (great beers on tap too!) with amazing food influenced by French and Moroccan Cuisine. On August 29, piano / singer, Walt Frasier delivers a wide variety of music with special guests from Broadway and cabaret. From 8pm until midnight, Mr Frasier will play and sing rock, blues, Broadway, Jazz and even some Opera.

After making their rousing NYC live debut in October, The Claudettes return to the area for another special free show tonight (11PM show) at The Manderley Bar at The McKittrick Hotel (530 West 27th St) at the conclusion of each night's performance of the acclaimed 'Sleep No More'.

LIPSHTICK – THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP is excited to welcome TV's Queen of all Media, Wendy Williams back to the stage, following her sold-out show in July. Williams will return to The Sands Showroom for two special performances, Friday, Oct. 31 and Saturday, Nov. 1. Tickets are now on sale.

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters. BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's MOTOWN below!