Ron Abel News

Show business tour de force Jamie deRoy - the award-winning producer, cabaret, stage, film and TV performer and humanitarian - will bring her star-packed Jamie deRoy & friends holiday show to New York's famed Birdland, Monday, December 11, at 7 p.m.

There have been many 100 year birthday celebrations of singers this year and one of the best was Vivian Reed Sings Lena Horne at Feinstein's/54 Below last night.

There was uncontrollable audience laughter as everything perfectly went wrong before and during the performance. It even went perfectly right after the show as Max von Essen, Geneva Carr, and one of the show's producers Jamie deRoy & her friends negotiated their way back stage through the disarrayed set in the Lyceum Theatre to congratulate the cast.

The winning bidder at The New York Pops Silent Auction, whose proceeds help finance The Pops/Ed Programs of The New York Pops, got something way above the original listed value. The auction item was for one pianist to play at your private party. However not only did the pianist show up at the appointed time, he was joined by some of the world's greatest pianists and entertainers for the special evening.

Rita Wilson has returned to Cafe' Carlyle with her show that centers around songs featured on her self-titled sophomore album, and new material from her upcoming third album of original songs.

Monty Hall could not have offered a more spectacular deal. Four women had the right price and were the top bidders at last year's Primary Stages Gala's Silent Auction. As a result, Tony Award-Winning Broadway legend Betty Buckley came through door #1 at Jamie deRoy's apartment and sang at a private party organized by the winners . Jamie, Catherine Adler, Paula Kaminsky Davis and Christina Rose.

Besides being an extraordinary and illustrious Broadway actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director Lee Roy Reams is one of the best raconteurs you could ever spend an evening with.

On September 25, 2017, The New York Pops returned to Feinstein's/54 Below for a cabaret performance starring the Emmy Award-winning TV and Broadway sensation Lucie Arnaz.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series was thrilled to present Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester, who made her concert debut at the iconic music room on Monday, September 11.

Birdland, the venue that has presented so many music luminaries in it's long history had the Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester on it's stage last night. Melissa, one of the true giants of the music world made her Birdland debut and celebrated the release of her 21st album, The Fellas. The album pays tribute to the male singers, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Mel Torme, and others who influenced her as a young artist.

Somewhere In Time, after another century of marvelous concerts at the MAHAIWE I'm sure Great Barrington audiences will be pointing out that the extraordinarily gifted Broadway star Sutton Foster sang here.  But as they gaze at the historic entertainment photos displayed on the walls of it's lower lobby they will only be able to imagine the heavenly sounds of Sutton Foster's voice.  They will not be able to experience how Sutton held an audience spell bound with singing that makes you want to cheer after every selection, except for the fact that you don't want to interrupt the exceptional musical moment. 

Barrington Stage Company (recently voted Best of The Berkshires) set a new record at the opening night of Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY last night. There appeared to be more selfie photos attempted of Aaron Tveit the show's star and cast leaving the stage door of the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage than happen by the ever present throngs in Broadway's Shubert Alley a show. Aaron, who was Bobby in the extraordinary production directed by BSC's founder and artistic director Julianne Boyd, was mobbed by  what seemed like the entire audience asTveit and the cast tried exit the stage door and continue on to the after party at the home of BSC Chair, Minky and Bruno Quinson. 

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Interim Executive Director; David McCoy, Chairman of the Board), dedicated to the development of new musicals and the preservation of musical gems from the past, as part of its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series, will present the staged reading of OMG...BROADWAY!

It was an evening of hilarity last night at Feinstein's/54 Below as the original cast of Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! celebrated it's 25th Anniversary.  

Even if you've never heard a note sung by Ella Fitzgerald (and if that's the case, you should stop reading this review immediately and look up some of her recordings on YouTube) Andrea Frierson's duo-bio solo show, ME & ELLA, can be related to by anyone whose life was influenced by a popular artist they've never met.

The York Theatre Company's 2017 summer New2NY Series presentation of the new musical Me & Ella, written and performed by Andrea Frierson (Once on This Island, The Lion King), direction by the Tony Award-winning team of Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel (Jay Johnson: The Two and Only), with music direction and arrangements by Ron Abel (Hazel, A Musical Maid in America, 'Happily Divorced') opened last night, July 16.

Set against the restless backdrop of the 20th Century and the lush serenity of the Ella Fitzgerald songbook, Broadway veteran Andrea Frierson's Me & Ella is a valentine to the "First Lady of Song."

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, has announced the 2017 summer New2NY Series presentation of the new musical Me & Ella, written and performed by Andrea Frierson (Once on This Island, The Lion King), direction by the Tony Award-winning team of Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel (Jay Johnson: The Two and Only), with music direction and arrangements by Ron Abel (Hazel, A Musical Maid in America, 'Happily Divorced').

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Interim Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, presents the 2017 summer New2NY Series presentation of the new musical Me & Ella

Below, meet the cast and creative team of the York Theatre Company's 2017 summer New2NY Series presentation of the new musical Me & Ella, written and performed by Andrea Frierson (Once on This Island, The Lion King), direction by the Tony Award-winning team of Murphy Cross and Paul Kreppel (Jay Johnson: The Two and Only), with music direction and arrangements by Ron Abel (Hazel, A Musical Maid in America, 'Happily Divorced')!