The RRazz Room Announces June 2010 Concerts
By: Gabrielle Sierra May. 25, 2010
The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko is San Francisco's premier nightclub, offering the finest in world-class Cabaret, Jazz, Comedy and Popular music entertainment. This intimate and acoustically perfect venue has been the home for past performers such as: Ashford & Simpson, Oleta Adams, Larry Carlton, Bobby Caldwell, Spyro Gyra, Hiroshima, Diane Schuur, Ben Vereen, Martha Reeves, Miki Howard, The Zapp Band, ConFunkShun, Pete Escovedo and Freda Payne. Host-escorted seating assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Doors open 90 minutes prior to show. The RRazz room is a two-drink minimum, all-ages venue, and tickets are non-refundable. Limited Club R VIP Memberships available: 415.394.1189 or Kris@TheRrazzRoom.com
Additional helpful information: The RRazz room Lounge and Bar is open daily at 2 pm. Dress Code is upscale casual. Inappropriate attire is: ripped jeans, flip-flops, baseball caps and jerseys. No audio nor video recording without prior approval. Please silence cell phones and refrain from use during performances. With a RRazz Room validation, parking at the Mason O'Farrell Garage is $10 (up to five hours) and $15 (up to ten hours). Enter the garage from Mason or O'Farrell Streets.
the RRazz room at Hotel Nikko
222 Mason Street (between Ellis and O'Farrell)
San Francisco, California 94102
Tickets: www.therrazzroom.com / the RRazz room 415.394.1189 / TicketWeb 866.468.3399 or at The Rrazz Room Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 12 noon to 7pm.
*Unless Otherwise Noted*
Category: Nightlife
Comedy, Cabaret
Tue-Sat, 6/1-5, 8pm; Sun, 6/6, 7pm $40-45
By Popular Demand, Just Added:
Wed-Fri, 6/9-11 8pm $40-45
Exclusive San Francisco Premiere Engagement!
Cloris Leachman
Cloris! A One Woman Show
You can call 84-year-old Cloris Leachman the ultimate chameleon. She was the zany, self-centered Phyllis on the Mary Tyler Moore show, the hilarious Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein, the conically breasted Nurse Diesel in High Anxiety, and the prejudiced grandmother in Malcolm In The Middle. Cloris showcased her gracious fluidity with Shakespeare's lines when she played opposite Katharine Hepburn on Broadway in As You Like It. Her success soared on Broadway as Nellie Forbush, the singing lead in South Pacific. Cloris' recent appearance on ABC TV's Dancing With The Stars was one of the highlights of the television season. She won her Oscar as Ruth Popper, the emotionally barren woman in The Last Picture Show. The Oscar sits regally on a shelf in Cloris' home alongside her nine Emmys, the most ever won by an actor. Cloris! A One Woman Show is everything you would expect from unique, multi-talented Cloris and more. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Gospel
Thu, 6/3, 10:15pm $26
OUR Lady J
Gospel For The Godless
Our Lady J is a New York based singer/songwriter known for her visionary gospel stylings and powerhouse pianist skills. Along with the Train-To-Kill Gospel Choir, she has been delivering a new testament of post-religious gospel music to sold-out crowds at NYC's Joe's Pub, The Zipper Factory & Ars Nova Theatre, as well as L.A.'s Upright Cabaret and world venues including London's prestigious South Bank Centre & the Spiegeltent (Manchester, UK). Out Magazine named her as one of the "Out 100," a list of the people who helped shape LGBT culture in 2008. As a pianist, she has accompanied Justin Bond, the NYC Gay Men's Chorus, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and the Mark Morris Dance Group, where she was a featured performer in the MMDG Music Ensemble. Don't miss OUR Lady J, Gospel For The Godless. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
Jazzy Blues, Adult Standards, Soulful Rock
Fri-Sat, 6/4-5, 10pm $35
Sally Kellerman
Hot Lips To Cool Blues
Sally Kellerman has one of the most recognizable voices in the world. She also starred as the infamous Hot Lips Houlihan in Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, one of the most popular feature films of all time for which she was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe Award. She has made us laugh (Back To School opposite Rodney Dangerfield), cry (Big Blond) and nearly all women in the world proud (Boynton Beach Bereavement Club) while making their husbands...well...(think M*A*S*H). Under contract with Verve Records at the age of 18, Sally has been blessed with a signature voice and style as well as an uncanny ability to make a song her own. In the early 70s, her first recording experience with the legendary Lou Adler (Mamas and Papas, Carole King, Sam Cook) led to a well-reviewed debut album Roll With The Feeling. The new CD Sally (The Music Force/2009) is a fitting mix of jazzy blues and adult standards with a touch of soulful rock. The CD of Chris Caswell originals and cover songs is the result of a successful collaboration with the Grammy Award winning producer Val Garay. Experience Sally Kellerman: Hot Lips To Cool Blues. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Non-traditional Cabaret
Mon, 6/7, 8pm $18
Ryan O'Connor EATS HIS FEELINGS
Direct From His SOLD OUT Hollywood Run And Prior To National Tour!
Actor, singer, comedian, vlogger, Ryan O'Connor is the host of the cult favorite YouTube chat show The Ryan O'Connor Show. Famous for blending all things pop culture, Ryan has quickly become a go-to source for witty insights about TV, film and theatre. Often over-zealous and quick to contradict a former opinion, Ryan keeps things refreshingly honest and risks career suicide daily by boldly telling the entertainment business when they have screwed up -- again. A graduate of Circle In the Square Theatre School in New York, Ryan's TV and film credits include School of Rock, How I Met Your Mother, What About Brian, the voice of a gay Military recruiter on American Dad and an awkward, slightly embarrassing, recurring stint on the ill-fated The Caroline Rhea Show. A musical theatre aficionado and performer, Ryan recently created and starred in his one-man musical, Ryan O'Connor EATS HIS FEELINGS, which was very well-received in Los Angeles and debuts at Rrazz Room prior to a national tour. Including songs by William Finn, Ani DiFranco, Katie Thompson, Scott Alan and Randy Blair, this is a one of a kind, out of the ordinary, honest, self-effacing, non-traditional cabaret and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Just Added:
Category: Nightlife
Great American Songbook
Tue, 6/8, 8pm $35
Wesla Whitfield AND THE MIKE GREENSILL TRIO
"We're in the Money": Songs From The Movies
Mike Greensill
Hollywood gave birth to some of the American Songbook's finest entries by such notable composers and lyricists as Harry Warren, "Yip" Harburg, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Richard Whiting, Jimmy McHugh and Sammy Cahn. Hollywood also enlisted the great Broadway masters George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hartand Jerome Kern - to name but a few.
These stellar artists wrote the songs sung by such motion picture stars as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple, The Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and many more of the most beloved movie stars of the 20th century.Featuring the magical and original interpretations of vocalist Wesla Whitfield along with the swinging Mike Greensill Trio, "We're In The Money" presents the best of Hollywood's musical soundtracks including Over the Rainbow, Jeepers Creepers, A Kiss To Build A Dream On, The Boy Next Door and many more along with stories of the legendary performers who made these songs into the timeless and unforgettable tunes we all love. This is a show you won't want to miss! Join Wesla and Mike as they explore the scores of such movie gems as Meet Me In St Louis, An American in Paris, Bandwagon, The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Top Hat and many more.Category: Nightlife
Comedy, Political Satire
Opening Night Changed To Sat, 6/12:
Saturdays, 6/12 and 6/19, 8pm $50
Sundays, 6/13 and 6/20, 5pm $45
Tue-Fri, 6/15-18, 8pm $45-50
Mort Sahl & Dick Gregory
Two Of The Most Influential Comedians/Political Satirists Join Forces
Lauded for his fearless brand of political satire and incisive view of the human condition, Mort Sahl was the first humorist on the cover of Time, the first performer to make a comedy album, and the first non-musician to win a Grammy. He has been under contract at every major television network and was the first to pioneer live comedy on college campuses. As a writer, Mort is credited with 18 screenplays. He is also in demand as a political scribe; writing numerous speeches for former Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and most recently working on the campaigns of Bill Bradley and George W. Bush.
Dick Gregory was on the front line in the sixties during the Civil Rights Era; today he continues to be a "drum major for justice and equality." He is an African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public. He entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago's Playboy Club (as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner) booked him as a replacement for white comedian, 'Professor' Irwin Corey. In 1973, the year he released his comedy album Caught in the Act, Gregory moved with his family to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he developed an interest in vegetarianism and became a nutritional consultant. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Just Added:
Category: Nightlife
Pop, Great American Songbook
Sat, 6/12, 10:30pm $25-25 (Limited VIP)
LISA DAWN MILLER
Miller Sings Miller
Currently starring as "Frank's One Love" in the new hit, Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show at San Francisco's Marines Memorial Theatre, multi-talented singer, producer and writer, Lisa Dawn Miller takes the stage at The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko (222 Mason St., San Francisco, CA) on Saturday, June 12 at 10:30 p.m. for a special, one night only performance: "Miller Sings Miller."
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Pop
Sun, 6/13, 2pm $45
Jim Van Slyke
The Sedaka Show
Celebrating the music of pop icon Neil Sedaka, Jim Van Slyke comes to The Rrazz Room with his critically acclaimed new show The Sedaka Show. Directed and conceived by Tony nominated Singer/Actor Brian Lane Green, Jim lends his beautiful voice and charm to the intimate melodies of Neil Sedaka. With music arrangements by Award winning Music Director Tim Di Pasqua, this tour de force trio have created a magnificent evening of Neil Sedaka favorites, lost gems and a few surprises! Neil Sedaka himself has said, "Just brilliant! I had the great pleasure of seeing Jim Van Slyke perform ... it blew me away. The voice, the stage presence ... all superb. 'Hungry Years' brought me to tears ... I think Jim has the potential of becoming an important artist. I can sincerely say that he would be a treat for any venue ... Something quite special." The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
Jazz, Cabaret
Mon, 6/14, 8pm $25
When The Natives Get Restless
LINDA KOSUT and NANCY TIERNEY
BMI/Bistro Award winner & MAC Award nominee jazz and cabaret vocalist Linda Kosut began a new 6-show series at The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko with her sold-out concert this past March 22. Kosut dons "two hats" for this series - those of producer and performer. As producer, she has invited other performers from New York, Seattle and San Francisco to debut at the Rrazz Room. As performer, she will as well perform, sharing the stage with her invited guests. Kosut is known for her rich, warm vocals and her engaging presence, as well as her versatility.
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Soul, Folk, Gospel, Jazz and Blues
Fri-Sat, 6/18-19, 10:15pm $20-30 (Limited VIP)
Crystal Monee Hall
CD Release
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Singer/Songwriter Crystal Monee Hall is proud to be a southern girl. When it comes to her earliest musical influences, Crystal is a self-proclaimed "church girl." After performing with Disney Entertainment's National Tour and Broadway productions of the Tony Award-winning musical RENT, she turned her eye to full-time scoring and songwriting. Her work has been presented at Rivers of Honey, The Laurie Beechman Theatre's "After Party," The Triad Theatre's "Just a Piano" series hosted by Lee Summers, The LGBT Community Center's Poets and Playwrights Series, and countless venues, including Joe's Pub and the Napa Valley Opera House. Last spring, NYC choreographer Camille A. Brown & Dancers debuted a new piece set to Crystal's original blues music at The Joyce SoHo, entitled "One Second Past the Future." Crystal is a featured vocalist with Broadway Inspirational Voices, founded and directed by the Grammy-nominated Michael McElroy as well as on Ahrens and Flaherty's score for the Hurricane Katrina documentary, "After the Storm." Crystal is a background vocalist for Shayna Steele, Jason Mraz and Elton John. Currently, she is touring as a featured vocalist with Concord recording artist Spencer Day and celebrating her debut CD release River Train (INgrooves/2010) at the Rrazz Room. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Songs from Hollywood Legends
Sun-Mon, 6/20-21, 8pm $30
Sharon McNight
starring in "Betty, Betty, Bette"
Kick off Gay Pride week with The One And Only Sharon McNight! Tony-Award nominee Sharon McNight stars in BETTY, BETTY, BETTE! saluting Hollywood legends: Betty Grable, Betty Hutton and Bette Davis. The music includes Bette Davis' "I've Written a Letter to Daddy," to Grable's "You're My Little Pinup Girl" and Hutton's classic "I Wake Up in the Morning Feeling Fine." This fun-filled show also includes "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in A Hurry," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," "It Had to Be You" and "Blue Skies." So fasten your seatbelts! It's going to be an incredible evening of music and mirth that only the versatile Sharon McNight can present. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Great American Songbook
Tue, 6/22, 8pm $30
Over The Rainbow! An Evening With
CONNIE CHAMPAGNE as Judy Garland
Please join our very own Connie Champagne in a very special Pride performance! Recipient of the Bay Area Critics Circle Award and LA's Ovation, this remarkable lady is a San Francisco institution, and has dazzled New York and LA audiences as well. For this special show, Connie will revisit the songbooks of Gershwin, Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen (and maybe some David Bowie or Queen just for fun!) This show is not to be missed and a perfect way to celebrate the beginning of San Francisco Pride week. Over the Rainbow! An Evening With Connie Champagne As Judy Garland. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Pop, Soul, R&B
Wed-Sat, 6/23-26, 8pm; Sun, 6/27, 7pm $30-45
Sam Harris
Born in Oklahoma, Sam Harris has a career than has spanned more than two decades in the public eye and run the gamut from singer/songwriter to stage, film, television actor to writer, producer, and director. Sam received a Drama Desk nomination for his role in Tommy Tune's Grease. He toured in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; starred in Cy Coleman's The Life, for which he received the Drama-League Award, Tony, Outer Critic's Circle and Drama Desk nominations. Sam went to work on the development of The Jazz Singer, playing the legendary Al Jolson, known as "the greatest entertainer in the world." He has worked with Stevie Wonder, ElizaBeth Taylor, Elton John, Al Green and Liza Minnelli. As the "Star Search Poster Boy" image faded, he has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, Rosie, The View, Barbara Walters Show, and performed a stirring "You'll Never Walk Alone" on Oprah in the week following 9/11. As "Perry Pearl" on The Class, Sam's chameleonic career took a new turn as a series regular on network television. He recently participated in Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" Tour and is working on several film and television projects as well as a new CD. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
Cabaret, Songs from Broadway
Fri-Sat, 6/25-26, 9:30pm; Sun, 6/27, 3pm $35-45
KT Sullivan
Celebrates Kern "All The Things You Are"
KT Sullivan recently appeared at the Kennedy Center with Brian Stokes Mitchell in Broadway Today, at the Humanities Festival with Dave Frishberg and at Carnegie's Zankel Hall with Michael Feinstein. KT has headlined at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, Lincoln Center, and The Caramoor Festival; performed internationally at The Spoleto Festival, The Nouvelle Eve in Paris, the Chichester Festival in England and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. She was a guest star on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion and has seven albums in worldwide. Broadway credits include The Three Penny Opera with Sting, the play Broadway directed by George Abbot, and the leading role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She toured in Annie Get Your Gun and was featured in a workshop production of Easter Parade with Tommy Tune. She received the Mabel Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Mabel Mercer Foundation and Liza Minnelli presented her with the Manhattan Association of Cabaret & Clubs' Outstanding Female Vocalist Award. KT was named one of the top 100 Irish Americans by Irish America magazine. On television, KT has guest starred on Police Squad, Night Court, Remington Steele, Hardcastle and McCormick, Cabaret 13 with Michael Feinstein and In Performance at the White House with Mary Martin. The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
LGBT, Comedy
Mon, 6/28, 8pm $25
Green 960 AM's
KAREL STANDS UP!
Karel (Charles Karel Bouley) is one of the most listened to and published openly gay men in the country, so when a controversial off-air (so he thought) comment about a certain Plumber got out, the Right went crazy and Karel suddenly became part of the most historic election news cycle of all time. The fallout was Karel losing his #1 show on the #1 station in the market, but led him back to the stage where he is always live and uncensored. Biting wit, splitting comedy, painful truths and hysterical life stories make the stage show everything the radio show is and more. In March of 2009 Karel returned to radio in multiple markets and continues to tour on stage with Karel Stands Up. Karel is host of the syndicated "Karel Show" heard in San Francisco on KNGY 92.7FM and Santa Cruz/Monterey on KRXA 1150 AM. He has had #1 talk shows at Citadel/ABC's flagship station, KGO AM 810 San Francisco (#1 overall station) and for KFI AM 640 Los Angeles. He is a blogger for the HuffingtonPost.com and has been a columnist for the #1 gay/lesbian newsmagazine The Advocate at Advocate.com and IN Magazine Los Angeles, as well as Billboard and others. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Bud E. Luv
Category: Nightlife
Comedy, Lounge
Tue, 6/29, 8pm $30
The Fabulous BUD E. LUV
The Rrazz Room is proud to present a man who's graced stages worldwide for over 30 years. The themes from the movies. The songs from the Broadway shows. The hit records he's written for Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Tony Orlando, Robert Goulet. Let's bring him on right now. The King of Swing. The Father of Folk. The Daddy of Disco. The man who put the Boss in the Bossa Nova. Ladies and Gentlemen, he's not having a perfect hair day, he's having a perfect hair decade. Would you welcome to the stage the world's greatest entertainer and San Francisco's own: THE FABULOUS BUD E. LUV. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
Category: Nightlife
Soulful Jazz
Wed-Sat, 6/30-7/3, 8pm $30-37.50
KIM NALLEY & HOUSTON PERSON
A Double Header Evening Of Soulful Jazz
Recently named one of the "Ten Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area," Kim Nalley has an international reputation as one of world's best jazz blues vocalists. Kim, in looks and presence, is often compared to Billie Holiday, but vocally she packs a 3 1/2 octave range that can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, projection that can whisper a ballad yet is capable of filling a room with no microphone, and the ability to scat blistering solos without ever losing the crowd's interest or the intense swing. Her singing is most reminiscent of the former Basie Singers Helen Humes & Joe Williams with a dash of Dinah Washington and occasional nods to Ella, Sarah and Nina Simone.
Described as "jazz's working class hero, a true man of the people," Houston Person came to national attention with a series of soulful albums recorded for Prestige in the 1960s. Person's fame grew still more with his successful 30-year musical partnership with vocalist Etta Jones. Numerous recording artists including Lena Horne, Lou Rawls and Horace Silver have also called on Person to perform on their albums. A passionate tenor saxophonist, alternately tough and tender, Person is now recognized as one of today's leading instrumentalists. The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tickets and Information 866.468.3399 www.TheRrazzRoom.com
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