Stephen Sorokoff - Page 29

From every corner of the musical world artists perform on the stages of the Kravis Center. Last night coming from such a corner, that of Madison Avenue and 76th street in NYC the Kravis welcomed Loston Harris. Loston for many years has entertained New Yorkers at his annual engagement in Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle. The audience in Persson Hall may have been dressed a bit more casually than folks at the legendary hotel on Manhattan's storied upper East Side, but their musical taste was just as sophisticated as they relished Loston's cosmopolitan stylings.

Michael Feinstein, through his performance and music history archiving is the country's foremost guide of The Great American Songbook. He had a songwriter/composer as his guest on the Kravis Center stage last night who has contributed a very important page of that book….Jimmy Webb.

We headed out on I95 but my mind superimposed Rt 17 in New York State. The signs advertising Medical Facilities, Orthopedic Surgeons, and The Hard Rock Casino became the Billboards for Grossingers, The Concord, and Browns Hotel. Freddie Roman, creator and star of Catskills on Broadway and comic superstar was going to receive the Footlighters Club's Shecky Greene Lifetime Achievement Award at Miami Shores Country Club. Getting such an award is usually a momentous solemn ritual, but when 7 of your fellow comedians will be toasting and honoring you the event becomes a room that is filled with the most amount of laughter on the planet.

The Roaring Twenties became the Roaring 2020s at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's annual gala last night. Amazon.com and retail establishments in Florida must have run out of Flapper dresses leading up to this exciting event as most of the women wore the traditional 1920's dresses to the gala put on by Florida's largest regional theatre.

From the wilds of Palm Beach, Cabaret starved creatures journeyed to their favorite watering hole in West Palm last night. Cafe Centro was the place to be for an evening of roaring music and fun with head Safari guide Rob Russell who managed to tame the assembled with his soothing voice.. There were some beautiful and exotic species at this gathering and my stealthy telephoto lens managed to bag a few shots as everybody in the room were acting like they were let out of a cage. New York City may have Cafe Society but Palm Beach now has Cafe Safari.

The Pat Boone family and the Legends Radio family were on the Eissey Campus Theater Stage last night as the legendary singer/actor/composer received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society for the Preservation of The Great American Songbook and daughter Debby Boone performed a concert that thrilled the Palm Beach audience.

Lianne Marie Dobbs brought her highly acclaimed show to The Green Room 42 last night. “Why Can't A Woman Be More Like A Man…? first premiered at The Beach Cafe and this enhanced version for the larger space was just as effective. Here's our report then which still holds true. Leanne had Ken Ard and Travis Poelle join her at the Green Room. Pianist Ron Abel supplied the highly effective arrangements.

Remember how great it was when “Harry Met Sally”. Well, when Nicolas (King) met Sandy (Stewart), chaperoned by pianist Mike Renzi last night at the Beach Cafe it was a “Shidduch” that produced music of epic proportions.

Billy Stritch wasn't at the Grammy's last night (he won a Grammy for his song “Does He Love You” recorded by Reba McEntire), but he was at the Kravis Center for the revue devised and narrated by Barry Day titled Hooray for Hollywood! On stage with music director Stritch were Carole J. Bufford and Liam Forde.

You won't recognize him if he happens to be standing next to you in an elevator but if there's music playing somewhere you will instantly recognize the sound of his notes. He's Charles Calello, one of the most extraordinary creative music giants of our generation. He composed the melodies, harmonies and rhythms that were the underpinning of more Top Ten Hit Records than any other arranger in the history of Pop Music.

Jarrod Spector brought his newest solo show (con)artist to the Essey Campus Theatre last night and BroadwayWorld was there for the excitement. Check out the photos!

Marilyn A. Wick, managing executive producer presented Andrew Lloyd Webber ( (music) & Tim Rice (lyrics) EVITA at The Wick Theatre last night and BroadwayWorld was there for the opening night.

Michael Feinstein, the artist most thought of when the words “The Great American Songbook” are spoken, returned to one of his musical homes away from home last night. Michael and The Kravis Center Pops Orchestra Big Band filled Dreyfoos Hall at The Kravis Center with the swinging sounds of Frank, Dean, Sammy and Bobby Darin among others.

Dave Lawrence, President & CEO of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County presented an informative and entertaining evening with some of South Florida's most important and well known theater producers. Suzanne L. Niedland, award-winning filmmaker, actor and Broadway producer interviewed Marcie Gorman, executive producer and artistic director of MNM Theatre Company, Vicki Halmos, founder/producer of Entr'Acte Theatrix, Jan McArt, producer & director of Theatre Arts Program Development at Lynn University, and Marilynn Wick, executive managing producer of The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum.

Everything old is new again….. that's if you happen to sing like Marissa Mulder and have Jon Weber at the piano to envelop your dulcet voice with inspired accompaniments.

Young & Old Friends of great music had much to celebrate at Jan McArt's Live at Lynn University last night. Clint Holmes, Veronica Swift and Nicholas King brought the Musical Review “New York, Old Friend” to the Live at Lynn Theatre Series produced by Jan McArt.

It's another Sold Out Concert for The New York Pops Holiday Concert at Carnegie Hall tonight and in addition the open rehearsal was also sold out.  

They were the highly awaited Christmas TV Specials. The Perry Como Christmas Show directed by Dwight Hemion and the Dean Martin Christmas Specials directed by Greg Garrison. These evenings had a more casual party atmosphere than the star's regular shows with some well placed poignant moments to celebrate the season. You could also count on some extraordinary guests to make an appearance. Well, flash (or sleigh ride) forward.

Some Radio and TV Stations may be refusing to play Frank Loesser's Academy Award-winning song, but Deana Martin and Steven Maglio sang it last night at the Friars Club to a jam packed room of gloriously festive and politically incorrect Friars. They joined the ranks of celebrities who have recorded the tune such as, Idina Menzel & Michael Buble', Esther Williams & Ricardo Montalban, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan, Margret Whiting & Johnny Mercer and the composer Frank Lesser and his wife Lynn Garland.

Most performers have a career/performance arc. Oftentimes fans compare early Sinatra crooning to the Chairman of the Board's later rugged vocal swagger. As the years ascend it's not unusual for vocalists to descend a key on the melodic scale. Marilyn Maye connoisseurs marvel at her early recordings but are also completely captivated by the current version of the super singer.