David Clarke - Page 25

Broadway veteran Brian Gallagher is a bona fide singer/songwriter. His debut album ALL THAT'S AHEAD, featuring a healthy handful of appearances from his wife Megan Hilty, is informed by the emotional sincerity and unembellished structure of the blues tradition and the genuine strength of singer/songwriters. ALL THAT'S AHEAD offers the best of the blues and singer/songwriter genres with a footprint that is uniquely his own.

SoHo Playhouse is known for presenting NYC with some of the finest hysterical yet thought-provoking material that modern theatre has to offer. Enter Baba Brinkman's RAP GUIDE TO RELIGION, a comical 90-minute one act that explores the Darwinian and psychological imperative and power the construct of religion has for the continued evolution of the human species.

The hills are still alive with THE SOUND OF MUSIC. With THE SOUND OF MUSIC - 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION fans of the film will have every sung moment and more orchestral cues all on one disc, making this re-release of the cherished score one worth climbing every mountain and fording every stream for.

Forget the freshly slaughtered lamb that Richard is preparing. Playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's HUNTER GATHERERS is an all-you-can-eat buffet of betrayal, sexual awkwardness, blood, red wine, lust-filled passions, and a blurring of the lines between civilization and primal instincts. The hysterical play is getting its long overdue New York City premiere. Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company keeps the laughs coming with their riotous production of the amusing play.

Making their 54 Below debuts together, Emily Padgett and Erin Davie crafted a cabaret show that was filled with humor and heart. Singing duets and solo numbers, the lovely ladies who played Violet and Daisy Hilton in this season's Broadway revival of Side Show at the St. James Theatre skillfully entertained the dinner time crowd and left us looking forward to the next time they tread the boards on the Great White Way.

Despite growing up in Texas, I more or less hated country music for most of my life. If only more of it had sounded like Rachel Potter's first full length album NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE. If it had, I may have been a fan of the genre earlier. Mixing in sensibilities of pop and rock, Rachel Potter's brand of country is fresh and bold. Most refreshing of all is that her take on country is uniquely hers. There is no artifice or facade; there's just great music.

ALTAR BOYZ opened Off-Broadway at Stage 4 of Dodger Stages on March 1, 2005. The award-winning, hit musical comedy closed after 2,032 regular performances on January 10, 2010. For two very special performances at 54 Below on March 1, 2015, actors who played the now iconic fictional Christian boy band took to the stage to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary with pizzazz, wit, and a whole lot of harmonizing.

Following its successful Off-Broadway run at New York City's Theatre 80 in the Fall of 2014, LIBERTY: A MONUMENTAL NEW MUSICAL kicked off a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo for their cast recording. Early in 2015 the cast of LIBERTY and its writers went into the studio at John Kilgore Sound & Recording to make a cast album. BroadwayWorld was invited in for a sneak peek and to hear some of the recording as it happened.

Playing her debut NYC solo show I Came From Jersey For This to a sold out house at 54 Below, Jessica Vosk took the intimate venue by storm. Dazzling audiences with her talent, energy, sincerity, and humor, she put up a perfectly crafted cabaret tribute to her journey from singing with her dad in the living room of their New Jersey home to landing roles on Broadway.

The funk soul of Motown is being modernized and reshaped by big name acts like Bruno Mars and Fitz and The Tantrums; however, no one is doing it quite like Amy Lynn & The Gunshow. Strip away the frills of a large record label, throw in a ton of sass, mix with wit and charisma, and garnish with an explosive horn section. That is the recipe for Amy Lynn & The Gunshow's style, and it leaves a whole lotta shakin' goin' on!

Celebrating the centennial of Frank Sinatra, Paulo Szot returns to 54 BELOW with a brand new show inspired by Antonio Carlos Jobim, the founding father of bossa nova. Unfortunately, the end product is not the enchanted evening we'd expect from the Tony Award winner.

For me, Anthony Newley is Matthew Mugg. It wouldn't be until 2015 that I discovered that Anthony Newley is responsible for some of my favorite music, and that he wrote a ton of material with Leslie Bricusse. This piqued my curiosity in Stage Door Records' release of ANTHONY NEWLEY SINGS " THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS!," which is an altogether fun and somewhat important album for historical reasons.

With the tagline "It Will Never Leave You," the much anticipated Broadway revival of SIDE SHOW closed at the St. James Theatre faster than most expected it to. Spanning 26 tracks and totaling 1 hour and 19 minutes worth of music, SIDE SHOW (Original 2014 Broadway Cast Recording) is an album that is sure to be stuck with you!

54 BELOW has a successful series of one-offs where a talented cast sings the music of a certain show or group. Last Saturday the popular venue hosted 54 BELOW Sings Heart. Channeling the cherished goddesses of rock with might and candor, the cast left the audience pumped and euphoric.

54 BELOW always books the best of the best talent. Therefore, it was no great surprise to see Jessica Vosk's name appear on their calendar. She gave a thrilling performance as Anita in San Francisco Symphony's production of WEST SIDE STORY, she was the only female swing in THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, and now she's creating a role in FINDING NEVERLAND. Recently, I chatted with her about her debut NYC solo show and her growing star.

I adore well written scores and gorgeous orchestral pieces, so I was thrilled when THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY (Original Score) landed in my mailbox. This music was chosen and written to accompany the film by the same title by Ken Burns, and it also serves as a gorgeous slice of Americana.

Stearns Matthews, a 2015 Bistro Award winner for Outstanding Recording, celebrated the late 2014 release of his debut album Spark last night at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Giving an encore performance of his critically lauded Spark CD Release Show, the accomplished performer and three-time MAC Award nominee entertained audiences with his whimsical set and his dazzling and bright lyric baritone instrument.

It's mid-February and all the stores are filled with red hearts and chocolates in an effort to bamboozle us into thinking love is in the air. Frankly, it may still be too chilly for love to survive in the air. Despite this, Alysha Umphress and Joshua Henry heated up 54 BELOW earlier this week with their sizzling, jazzy cabaret Romantic Duets.

Since THE LAST FIVE YEARS' New York debut, this intimate musical about failed romance has been an evergreen favorite. Just in time for Valentine's Day audiences are being given the opportunity to fall in love with the material all over again. Today, Sh-K-Boom and Razor & Tie released the hotly anticipated THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), and the record is anything but disappointing.

The ensemble of the smash-hit musical Les Miserables has got to be one of the hardest working ensembles on Broadway. Last night this talented group impressed audiences by casting the wigs, dirt, and grime aside and singing the music that makes them tick at 54 BELOW.