Robert R. Blume News

On Monday, August 4, 2008 the Friars Club presented DIVA NIGHT! in the Frank Sinatra Dining Room at the Friars Club. The evening was Hosted & Produced by Randie Levine-Miller and starred Christine Andreas, Anna Bergman, Beth Fowler, Alice Frazier, Liz McCartney, Rena Strober, Christianne Tisdale, Deborah Tranelli. Paul Chamlin served as Musical Director for the evening. The theater and cabaret stars performed songs from 'The Broadway Songbook'.

The final concert in Town Hall's Summer Broadway Festival, ALL SINGIN'! ALL DANCIN!' took place on July 28th at 8PM. The production of ALL SINGIN'! ALL DANCIN'! featured well known Broadway showtunes sporting brand new choreography exclusively created by Joshua Rhodes and danced by the talented Broadway hoofers of today, including Kendrick Jones, Megan Sikora, Melinda Sullivan, Lisa Gadja and Lorin Latarro.

On July 24th, 2008 Mario Lopez had his very own portrait unveiled at the popular theater district Italian eatery, Tony Di Napoli's. Tony DiNapoli's is located at 147 43rd Street

Winners of DRAMA DESK AWARDS for the 2007/2008 New York theater season will receive their engraved trophies at a cocktail reception in their honor on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, from 4:00 to 6: 30 PM, at Tony's DiNapoli Restaurant, 147 W. 43rd St, it was announced by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards show, and Bruce Dimpflmaier, General Manager, of Tony's Di Napoli Restaurant.

Angels, a new musical based on Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost, will premiere on Broadway during the 2008-9 season. Written by the new Australian team of Ken Lai (book, music and lyrics) and Marcus Cheong (book and lyrics), Angels will feature a cast of 24, including Robert Cuccioli, Jessica Grové and Nicholas Rodriguez, in the leading roles. The musical gave a special presentation on Wednesday July 9th to an invited audience, and BroadwayWorld.com was there!

Winners of DRAMA DESK AWARDS for the 2007/2008 New York theater season will receive their engraved trophies at a cocktail reception in their honor on Tuesday, July 22, 2008, from 4:00 to 6: 30 PM, at Tony's DiNapoli Restaurant, 147 W. 43rd St, it was announced by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards show, and Bruce Dimpflmaier, General Manager, of Tony's Di Napoli Restaurant.

Sarah Uriarte Berry, Tony winner Chuck Cooper, award-winning vocalist Scott Coulter, and Broadway favorites Jason Graae and Max von Essen joined Emily Skinner, Jeff McCarthy, Terri Klausner, Noah Racey, Lorin Latarro and Melinda Sullivan at The Town Hall to present the final production of its 2007-2008 Broadway by the Year series, Broadway By The Year 1979 on Monday, June 16th. Broadway By The Year is created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel for The Town Hall, now in it's 8th season.

On May 18th 2008 the winners of this years Drama Desk Awards were announced. The 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were held in the LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center.

Brian d'Arcy James, Marc Kudisch, Gregg Edelman, Julia Murney, Kendrick Jones, Shannon Lewis, Melinda Sullivan, Julie Reyburn, Brandon Cutrell, Lorin Latarro, and more starred in THE BROADWAY MUSICALS OF 1965 at The Town Hall, Monday, May 12 at 8pm.

Nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club by Bebe Neuwirth and Len Cariou, multi-award winning stage, screen and television stars. They were joined for the announcement by William Wolf, Drama Desk President, Barbara Siegel, Chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee, Robert Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards, and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk.

The cast of [title of show], the original musical that will open on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in July, will host the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards on Sunday, May 18, at 9:00 PM, it was announced by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the awards ceremony, and William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk.

'KEEP IT SHORT,' an evening of three short plays and a number of musical performances showcasing the talents of 11 young performers blossoming in the Big Apple, will be presented at The Cutting Room, 19 West 24th Street (between Broadway and 6th Avenue), on Monday, April 28, from 7 to 10 PM. The event is being produced by The Plastic Flamingo Theatre Company and Stiletto Project, New York-based theatre companies started by, and featuring, alumni (1997 through 2007) of the University of Miami theatre program with the mission of promoting new talent in the city.

On Thursday, March 27th The Friar's Club luncheon honoring Liz Smith. Jeffrey Lyons conducted the interview and the event was produced by Randie Levine-Miller. Liz Smith is a New York Post and nationally syndicated gossip columnist. Press notes state that 'Liz has had a remarkable career in print and on television. She's probably the only gossip columnist who is truly loved' Liz Smith recently accepted the Harold Clurman Lifetime Achievement Award for a lifelong commitment to the ennoblement of humanity through culture from HBO's Sheila Nevins at the Stella Adler studio Starlight Benefit.

Nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards will be announced on Monday, April 28, 2008, at 9:45 AM at the New York Friars Club, 57 East 55th Street, in Manhattan.

Stars from the worlds of Broadway, television, R & B, cabaret, comedy, jazz, and country convened at The Town Hall on Monday, January 28 at 7PM to celebrate The 2008 Nightlife Awards.

The 53rd Annual 'Drama Desk Awards' will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2008, at 9 PM at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, it was announced by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony and telecast, and William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk, an organization of theater critics, writers and editors that honors excellence in all areas of New York theater, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and not-for-profit theater.

On Tuesday, January 15, 2008, The Friars Club hosted Lucie Arnaz who shared entertaining stories of her life in show-business as interviewed by Bill Boggs.

New Orleans, with no active pre-Broadway tryout venue since the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, has been given new hope in becoming a major theatre development center as early as next year, when the Australian-born Angels, The Musical, which created a stir with its New York debut in the New York Music Festival (NYMF), intends to develop, rehearse and tryout the musical in 2008 in both Shreveport and New Orleans prior to a New York opening.

Busker Alley, the Broadway bound musical starring Tony winner, Jim Dale, (Carry On films, Barnum, 'Harry Potter' audio books, 'Pushing Daisies') celebrated at a glorious luncheon and theatrical presentation aboard the Cunard Liner Queen Mary 2, on Friday, November 30 from 12noon - 3PM.

The fourth annual 'Broadway Unplugged' concert - featuring Broadway stars performing without microphones - was presented Monday, November 19 at 8PM at The Town Hall