William Blake News

This week's 'episode' of Jim Caruso's Cast Party started off with a bang, as the National Yiddish Theater Company's cast of The Golden Land stormed the stage with two wonderful songs. Not to be outdone, Mira Awad came all the way from Israel to serenade the sold-out house with a song from her native land.

Voting is now underway for the Inaugural Cabaret Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the standings here!

"Strippers and Satchmo and guys who sing gospel' sounds like a bastardized Rodgers and Hart lyric, but it helps explain the variety of talent that showed up for Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland on Monday evening. David Phelps, the award-winning tenor best known for his work with the Gaither Vocal Band absolutely thrilled the crowd with "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Nessun Dorma" (a Birdland first). Jeremy Giraud Abram is currently portraying jazz legend Louis Armstrong at Theater 3 in Manhattan, and impressed everyone with his "Wonderful World." Jaymes and James, Chippendales dancers from Las Vegas currently heating up small screens on "The Amazing Race," charmed the room and gained even more fans! Adan Canto, starring in the new Fox thriller, "The Following," is not just another good looking TV star…he's a first-rate singer. Australian bff's Matthew Newton and Matt Baker performed a gorgeous standard together. Dawn Derow showed off her musical stuff, and promoted her upcoming cabaret act. William Blake sang the blues, like he will at his upcoming Sidewalk Cafe gig. The Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Tedd Firth, Steve Doyle & Daniel Glass) accompanied the extraordinary talent into the wee hours, as they do every single Monday night.

Blues/jazz singer William Blake will kick off the new "Landmark Wednesdays" series of concerts at the historic SideWalk Cafe in the East Village on November 21 and 28. Blake, along with Randy Napoleon on guitar, Mike Karn on bass and Danny Young on percussion, will perform sets at 8 and 10 pm.

After receiving more than 3,000 nominations once BroadwayWorld.com announced it's first-ever New York Cabaret Awards in early October, BWW is now pleased to announce it's final nominations ballot in 20 categories. Now it's time for all you cabaret performers and fans to vote for the best singers, musicians and shows of the year. Voting will continue until December 31 and winners will be announced in early January.

Next month, Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) will partner with Trinity Wall Street Church to present two concerts in Trinity's annual Twelfth Night Festival of Early Music, which runs from Wednesday, December 26, 2012 through Sunday, January 6, 2013.

At Jim Caruso's Cast Party this past Monday, October 22nd, there was an autumnal cornucopia of talent, with impromptu performances by two original cast members of Sophisticated Ladies, Terri Klausner and Ty Stephens. Check out photos of them and more at the concert below!

The Joyce Theater announced today the programming for its 2013 Spring/Summer Season featuring extraordinary international companies, including two festivals, one focusing on Nordic dance and the other on American ballet choreographers.

There may have been 40 cabaret performers strutting their stuff this past week at the 23rd New York Cabaret Convention at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, but the true star of the three-night extravaganza (October 17-19) was the late Donald Smith, the cabaret impresario and guru to the genre's luminaries, who died this past March at 79. Sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, which Smith founded in 1985, this year's Convention featured numerous homages to Smith from the performers, many of whom had their career's supported and advanced with the help of the colorful and beloved cabaret producer and promoter. Early in Wednesday's Gala Opening Night show, the 'first lady of the American keyboard' Barbara Carroll called her friend Donald Smith 'the quintessential New Yorker,' and when Mark Nadler closed night one with George and Ira Gershwin's 'Our Love Is Here to Stay,' he said, 'Everybody who cares about the myths of these songs are in this room tonight.' Well, it was clear that anyone who cared about Donald Smith was at the Rose Theater for at least one of the three shows.

This year, the 23rd Cabaret Convention, October 17-19 at Jazz at Lincoln Center/Frederick P. Rose Hall, continued the extraordinary levels of entertainment provided by Smith and his compatriots, as well as provided happy, personal memories of the Mercer/Smith coalescence upon which the Foundation plans to thrive in the future. Check out photos from closing night below!

Broadway leading man Robert Cuccioli has high standards, and they revealed themselves in his music on Monday night, when he joined the Broadway at Birdland concert series and celebrated his debut solo CD, "The Look Of Love." Below, check out photos of Cuccioli and more performing at the concert!

On Monday night, the Broadway at Birdland concert series presented the second week of Anita Gillette's new show, "After All." The jam-packed house stomped and cheered as Gillette sang and recalled many behind-the-scenes events during her dazzling Broadway and Hollywood career. Scroll down for photos of Gillette and more onstage!

Monday night's episode of Jim Caruso's Cast Party was like a modern-day "Ed Sullivan Show," thanks to a wide array of wonderful talent. From 11-year-old jazz trumpet player Geoff Gallante, who played and crooned "Bare Necessities," to "Beauty And The Geek" star Richard Rubin, the 'extreme open mic' entertained the packed house into the wee hours.

Back by popular demand to the Broadway at Birdland concert series, William Blake performed an encore of his show "Echoes of Etta," a musical tribute to Etta James, on Monday, August 20th. There wasn't an extra chair to be had at Birdland-every single space was filled with a screaming, stomping fans. Check out photos of Blake onstage below!

WIFF is proud to present an evocative new play written and directed by local playwright and actor Gail Fleming. Outsider, opening tonight, July 27 and runs through August 5, 2012, with an art show today, July 27.

A few fresh faces and a slew of beloved regulars showed up to serenade each other at Jim Caruso's Cast Party on Monday night, July 16, 2012. Check out photos from the performances below, featuring Clint Holmes, the cast of Central Avenue Breakdown and more!

After eight critically acclaimed months at Feinstein's, performing every Thursday night at 11 PM to delighted crowds of late night musical theater fans, Scott Siegel's Broadway Ballyhoo will take the stage for one week only during prime time with five entirely different 8 PM shows from Tuesday, July 17 thru Saturday, July 21.