Stephen Sorokoff - Page 32

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.

The RRAZZ ROOM audience got a Christmas gift last night, a voice and musician sent from heaven. Maureen McGovern, with her glorious tone, phrasing and dynamics filled the RRazz Room with a performance that was musical perfection. Actually, the same accolades go to her pianist for the evening, the legendary Mike Renzi. His pianistic tone, phrasing, dynamics, and harmonics are equalled by few. Maureen McGovern's voice “gets you” on all levels, she has a compelling Alto, a haunting Mid Range, and a Soprano that possesses the virtuosity to handle her excellent improvisational ability. This was the 45th Anniversary of Maureen's theme song “ The Morning After” which won the Oscar for Best Song of the year 1973 and yes, Jill & Rich Switzer of Legends Radio and everyone else present are talking about Maureen McGovern “ The Morning After”

Dave Koz's music and multitalented friends lit up the Kravis Center For The Performing Arts last night on all levels. It was a spectacular presentation of swinging holiday music and multi media lighting effects that had the West Palm Beach audience dazzled during the entire concert. The friends who joined Dave for this tour were, Jonathan Butler, Melissa Manchester, Michael Lington and special guest Chris Walker. Broadwayworld was there…check out the photos below.

Want to see a show where every note and word and performer is genius?  Want to see a show that makes you leap out of your seat many times during the performance?   It's playing at Feinstein's/54 Below for a very limited run….Broadway The Callaway! staring Liz Callaway & Ann Hampton Callaway…November 26, 27, & 30

The audience that crowded into the Grand Salon at La Goulue had the best bargain in NYC last night. Their eyes, ears, and taste buds spent a night in Paris for the cost of a pre-fixe dinner and music charge. Yanna Avis created an evening of authentic French Cabaret that brings you to the glamorous place and time when the likes of Cole Porter and other artistic Americans lived in Paris. You didn't have to speak French to enjoy her show, but it seemed that most everyone in the room did, as they joined in when Yanna sang PADAM, PADAM, PADAM, and popular other Chansons. I don't think most of Yanna Avis's sophisticated and well dressed fans needed this special price for the experience as many of them have seen her perform in Europe as well.

It's been a constant stream of theater and cabaret personalities flocking to see Tom Wopat at the Beach Cafe for the past 5 Wednesdays and his concluding night was no different. Enjoying the final show of the series were Michele Lee, Marilyn Maye, Linda Purl, Stacy Sullivan, Deborah Grace Winer, Jamie deRoy and Ken Fallin among others at the intimate East Side supper club. Tom will be returning to the club for a pre New Years Eve show.

Last night, celebrities, sports icons, family, and friends gathered at the Mariano Rivera Foundation Gala to benefit The New Learning Center For Children in New Rochelle, NY.

Amanda Green, Jeff Harnar vocalist, and Andy Propst author of “They Made Us Happy” Betty Comden & Adolph Green's Musicals, joined host Harvey Granat at his series at the 92Y this afternoon.

The Friars Club remembered a dark time in American history yesterday afternoon with a panel discussion led by Christine Pedi exploring the Hollywood Blacklist and McCarthyism in America.

The preview of the magnificent things to come happens when Brian Stokes Mitchell sings the first song of his current show at Feinstein's/54 Below. It's the Irving Berlin classic “There's No Business Like Show Business”. I'm sure if Berlin ever heard the Stokes version he would bow down in tribute to the thrilling performance and unique revisit that the Tony Award Winner and consummate artist has brought to his 1954 tune written for Ethel Merman in Annie Get Your Gun. Stokes navigates the innovative Tedd Firth arrangement and makes you feel excited, awestruck, and comfortable as his rich baritone voice effortlessly glides through the constant time signature and key changes. This current show at 54 is titled Brian Stokes Mitchell Plays With Music-Holiday and Stokes brings his acting, musicianship, and charismatic personality to make every tune on his song list a moving experience. The New York Times has dubbed Brian Stokes Mitchell as Broadway's “Last Leading Man” but Stokes is even much more than that. He's Chairman of the Board of The Actors Fund. He has a unique ability to bring people together and that theme is constant throughout his show. His encore at this performance was “What A Wonderful World” and the SRO audience left feeling that way mainly because Brian Stokes Mitchell is in it.

If these (Friar) walls could talk you would hear music and conversation from show biz legends of the past. Irving Berlin was a Friar who together with Friar George M. Cohan wrote many musical reviews called Friars Frolics to entertain their fellow Friars. Last night the Friars Club presented “An Evening With Irving Berlin” to celebrate the publication of Irving Berlin: New York Genius by bestselling author and Award Winner James Kaplan.

Great voice, magnetic personality, good looking, anything else?…Yes, he also writes the songs!

Last night in the heart of the Theatre District, Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, hosted its annual New York City Benefit, BSC/NYC to celebrate its 25th Anniversary Season. The annual event raised $110K for Barrington Stage's Julianne Boyd New Works Fund. The one-night only cabaret took place at the The Green Room 42.

You never know what's just around the corner and that's the fascinating thing about discovering cabaret artists who are new to your milieu. Last night it was at the corner of 71st Street and 2nd Avenue at the Beach Cafe. Friend Ron Abel, one of the music industry's preeminent pianists/ arranger/music directors in his heads up to me about this artist said …“Sometimes you get lucky. You get to work with a smart actress whose ability to understand a lyric translates to her being able to take the song to a place that people haven't heard before. And then, she has the vocal range and ability to take it that one step further.” That folks is Lianne Marie Dobbs who while new to me is well known by cabaret enthusiasts.

I've been tracking this Storm for quite a while now and the intensity and power of her performance keeps escalating to the point where there is literally no category in the music world that describes her adequately. She is a performer who excites you on ever level and presses all your buttons. After Storm Large sweeps through an audience you are part of you'll be talking about her to all your friends and encouraging them to see her to experience the awesome talent and personality of one of the most unique entertainers on the planet. In addition to her own poignant songs she deconstructs and reconstructs Cole Porter like you've never heard before.

Internationally acclaimed superstar Ben Vereen received the Gold Coast Arts Center's Lifetime Achievement Award at an opening night reception of the Gold Coast International Film Festival on Monday, November 4, 2019 at the Krasnoff Theater at Tilles Center in Brookville, New York