Kennedy to Host 1/22 'New Voices;' Kirshenbaum Guests

On January 22nd, the acclaimed series, 'Monday Nights, New Voices,' will celebrate the start of its third year at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre.  Produced by composer Scott Alan/>, the 7pm show will be hosted by Spamalot's Lauren Kennedy/> and will feature special guest composer David Kirshenbaum/>, who will accompany the 'New Voices' on selections from his songbook. The New Voices include Jessica Lanzetta, Mick Bleyer/>, Nick Dothee, Philip Drennen and Melanie Burg.  The evening will be musically directed by Barbara Anselmi/>.

David Kirshenbaum/> wrote the score for the Off-Broadway musical Summer of '42 (book by Hunter Foster/>), which will be released later this fall as a two-CD set on Jay Records. His new show Party Come Here (book by Daniel Goldfarb/>) was recently seen at the 2006 New York Musical Theatre Festival. And Vanities – A New Musical, his adaptation of the long-running hit play (book by its original author Jack Heifner) will be making its appearance on a New York stage next season following its success at the NAMT Festival of New Musicals in October 2006.

Lauren Kennedy/> recently finished playing The Lady of the Lake in Broadway's Spamalot.  Kennedy has covered the role of Daisy Hilton in the Broadway
production of Side Show and also appeared in the New York companies of Sunset Boulevard and Les Misérables. She starred in The Rhythm Club and was also a part of the early incarnations of Jason Robert Brown/>'s The Last Five Years, playing the role that would be played Off-Broadway by Sherie Rene Scott/>, when Kennedy crossed the Atlantic to star in The National Theatre's revival of South Pacific. Kennedy also appeared in The Ten Commandments: The Spectacle Musical, and her debut solo CD is titled "The Songs of Jason Robert Brown/>."

Admission is $12, with a two drink minimum. To make online reservations, visit www.theduplex.com/webcalendar/reservations.php?cal_id=2345, or call 212.255.5438.

Photo - Lauren Kennedy