Stephen Sorokoff - Page 46

Broadway music like it's rarely heard will be performed tonight by The New York Pops Orchestra and Judith Clurman's essential Voices USA in Carnegie Hall.  Here are some photos of this afternoons rehearsal with the New York Theatre Ballet.  From overtures to dream ballets to 11 o'clock numbers Carnegie Hall will resound with the music of Broadway.

When you enter the Friars Club on 55th street the world immediately becomes a better place. The first space you encounter is the Billy Crystal Room where you hear the laughter and the animated conversations as Friars share stories with one another. Last night in only the 8th time in the Club's 114-year history The Icon Award was presented by Robert De Niro to Billy Crystal at the Ziegfeld Ballroom to a capacity filled New York/Hollywood audience. The Icon Award honors individuals whose extraordinary accomplishment raise the standard of entertainment and positively redefines our culture. Billy is following in the footsteps of entertainment icons Douglas Fairbanks, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Martin Scorsese, and Robert De Niro.

Fifth Estate Entertainment presents the audience favorite ROCK OF AGES. The multi Tony Award-nominated show comes to the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts November 6 - 11.

Jan McArt, producer and director of Lynn University's theatre arts program development welcomed an old friend and former protege Richard H. Blake to Libby Dodson's Live at Lynn Theatre Series last night and Broadwayworld was there for his exciting show.

The stars shone over the Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck, Long Island recently as film and television star Robert Wagner came to receive the second annual Burton Moss Hollywood Golden Era Award in recognition of his long, illustrious career that began in 1950 with his film debut in The Happy Years. The occasion also helped raise funds for the nonprofit Arts center and its Gold Coast International Film Festival, which starts on Friday, November 2, 2018 on the storied Gold Coast of Nassau County's North Shore, once home to entertainment legends including W. C. Fields, Paulette Goddard, Oscar Hammerstein, Alan King, Francis Ford Coppola, George Segal, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Birdland Theater, the new venue spawned from the legendary Birdland on 44th street had a 'soft' opening this summer, followed by a bunch of celebrity openings in September. It had another entertainment first last night because Jamie deRoy brought her friends and her renowned Jamie deRoy & friends Variety show to this great new performance space. The evening had all the glamour and excitement of a Broadway opening night, the kind of evening Ms. deRoy can usually be found at.

There's a Theme Park of music happening on 44th street and no matter what gate you choose to enter at Birdland great music is playing behind every door. You can spend a good portion of your night shuttling between the historic Birdland Stage and the new Birdland Theater with their line up of shows.

Palm Beach notables Rob Russell & Michael Masci joined forces to have a 'soft unofficial opening' of the Palm Beach music season with a one night only performance at Cafe Centro in West Palm Beach last night and Broadwayworld was there.

Alternating between the fun/serious musical styles of Louie Prima, Mickey Katz, The Barry Sisters, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jule Styne and others, Jane Lynch & Kate Flannery brought a degree of exciting eclectic music and humor to Cafe Carlyle not often seen in the legendary space. Their show is titled Two Lost Souls, but the only place these extremely talented actor/singers/comics get lost in is the world of marvelous intelligent, wacky entertainment.

Richard Maltby, Jr. the original director and director of last night's sensational celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Ain't Missbehvin' : The Music Of Fats Waller said it best when he explained the trajectory of the 1978 production…..'Jan 1 1978 we went into rehearsal with a stack of sheet music, a company of wonderful actors, who turned out to be 5 good ideas….Feb 1st we opened, March 1st we closed, April 1st we started rehearsals for Broadway, May 1st we opened on Broadway, and June 1st we won the Tony Award for Best Musical. I thought, well that's the way Broadway is!

Most times when Billy Stritch is at the keyboard he is WITH somebody. Liza, Tony, Marilyn (Maye), Linda (Lavin), Christine (Ebersole), Klea (Blackhurst), Ann Hampton Callaway and of course Jim Caruso. Every major music performer has at one time or another availed themselves of Billy's unique creativity as their pianist,arranger, vocalist, or conductor.

Even the celebrities had a tough time getting a ticket for their shows at Feinstein's/54 Below. Jana Robbins and Haley Swindal's closing night's performance actually seemed more like an opening night with all the notability in the room. Audiences have been wildly enthusiastic about their cabaret act titled The Songs of Kander & Ebb…We Just Move On!

It's a good thing Gianni Valenti built the new Birdland Theater incorporating substantial soundproofing material. The screams and laughter coming from last night's audience would have alarmed the upstairs music lovers enjoying a great performance in the legendary 'Jazz Corner of The World'

There are some cabaret shows that you never want to end and you would stay in your seat for the 2nd (or if there was), third show. Clint Holmes, was introduced by Broadway at Birdland host Jim Caruso last night as one of the best vocalists in the world and Clint's performance on the stage of Birdland, before a star studded audience of music lovers demonstrated how true that intro was.

Joe Iconis, who the New York Times called 'The Future of Musical Theatre' has his past throughly implanted at Barrington Stage Company. BSC, Julianne Boyd, artistic director and the William Finn Musical Theatre Lab have been an integral part of Joe's life. Last night he brought his family of supremely talented singers and musicians to the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage for a wild finale to another great season at the award winning theatre in Pittsfield Ma. Broadwayworld was there for the event - check out the photos below!

The Berkshires is one of the most beautiful and cultural geographical places in the United States. It's hills have been the playpen of artists, actors, and musicians since the 1920's. The area welcomed one of our generations finest pop/jazz vocalists this weekend in Mr. Finn's Cabaret at Barrington Stage Co.

After critically lauded performances in New York, London and Paris, award-winning performer Eric Yves Garcia (Margaret Whiting Award; Bistro Award for Singing Instrumentalist) brought his show 'This is All I Ask' to Feinstein's/54 Below last night and Broadway@orld was there. Check out the photos below!

In some ways, attending a Melissa Manchester concert is akin to the atmosphere, familiarity, and warmth you have in a house of worship.  Last night during her performance at Barrington Stage Co. Mellisa's music evoked the same feelings you have when listening to familiar melodies and words that have been with you and most of the 'congregation' their whole lives. Mellisa has a breathtaking voice and phrasing which kept the BSC audience mesmerized with the songs and stories from her extraordinary career.  There were songs that the Grammy winner either wrote or chose to sing in an evening that  highlighted tunes from her new album The Fellas.  In it Melissa honors the great male singers that have influenced her. As well as having a full performance schedule Melissa also teaches music at the University of Southern California.  

The streets of Pittsfield, (more precisely Barrington Stage Co's Boyd Quinson Mainstage on Union Street) became the streets of 1957 New York City as one of the greatest Broadway Shows of all times, West Side Store had it's opening night performance.  Nowadays you don't have gangs fighting on Pittsfield streets but you do have theater goers fighting to get into the many productions of Barrington Stage Co. and the sold out season at Mr. (Bill) Finn's Cabaret.