Adam Shapiro News

Broadway favorite Frenchie Davis (American Idol, The Voice, Broadway's RENT) will make her Broadway Sings for Pride debut in 'ROAR' which will celebrate NYC Gay Pride. Frenchie known for her powerful voice will be apart of group numbers and a solo piece during the event. Frenchie appeared on American Idol's second season where she showcased her soulful voice. She made her Broadway debut in RENT as the 'Seasons of Love' soloist in the Tony-award winning show RENT. She was also seen in the starring role of Effie in a West Coast-touring production of Dreamgirls, which appeared in Sacramento, San Jose, Seattle. Davis also made it to the top 8 of The Voice as a member of Christina Aguilera's team.

In less than one day, you are going to find out what it means to be a sensate and how it would feel to be one of eight people from around the world whose lives are suddenly connected and fighting for your own survival.

et a taste of what it means to be  a Sensate in the official trailer and first look images from the Netflix original series Sense8.  All twelve (12) episodes of the global dramatic thriller will launch  Friday, June 5  only on Netflix in all Netflix territories around the world.

Songwriter, performer, producer, and now activist, Bobby Horowitz, has put yet another spin on the series/variety show, with her refreshing take on the subject of 'ageism' in America. Called It's Just a Number (starting with six dates running from April to October at The Metropolitan Room), Horowitz's show theme champions the notion that age truly is just a number. Featuring a different group of cabaret's best performers for each show, the series honors a person who after the age of 50 either began a new career, resumed a career, is attempting to attain knowledge in a new field, or established a new organization with the purpose of helping people. This past Saturday afternoon, Alice Fisher, who presently serves as Director of Community Outreach in the Office of NYS Senator, Liz Krueger, was the first honoree.

One of New York cabaret's most beloved personalities, songwriter and performer Bobbie Horowitz is producing a new variety show series at the Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) dedicated to the proposition that age truly is just a number. Each show in the series, It's Just a Number!, will feature some of cabaret's best performers and 'Honor a person who after age 50 either began a new career, resumed a career, is attempting to attain knowledge in a new field, or established a new organization to help people.' The series (six shows between April and October to start) launches on April 11 at 1 pm and will honor long-time social justice advocate Alice Fisher, creator of 'The Radical Age Movement,' a grassroots nationwide effort that challenges traditional notions of aging and introduces new ideas for building co-creative and interdependent communities.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series is proud to announce that On The Town star Elizabeth Stanley will be celebrating the show's creators Betty Comden and Adolph Green in concert in 'Carried Away' on Monday, April 6 at 7pm. Elizabeth's very special guest will be Television/Broadway star Andrew Rannells.

One of New York cabaret's most beloved personalities, songwriter and performer Bobbie Horowitz is producing a new variety show series at the Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) dedicated to the proposition that age truly is just a number. Each show in the series, It's Just a Number!, will feature some of cabaret's best performers and 'Honor a person who after age 50 either began a new career, resumed a career, is attempting to attain knowledge in a new field, or established a new organization to help people.' The series (six shows between April and October to start) launches on April 11 at 1 pm and will honor long-time social justice advocate Alice Fisher, creator of 'The Radical Age Movement,' a grassroots nationwide effort that challenges traditional notions of aging and introduces new ideas for building co-creative and interdependent communities.

On Sunday, March 15 2015, to celebrate Broadway Sings for Pride's (www.BroadwaySingsforPride.com) upcoming 5th Anniversary Gay Pride charity concert in June, they will be amping up the star power and going into the recording studio. The selection of songs will be favorites from their previous shows and cast members who support Broadway Sings for Pride including a special arrangement of Seasons of Love featuring RENT Alumni.

Universal Pictures announced today that STEVE JOBS will be released in theaters on Friday, October 9, 2015. The biopic will compete against The Finest Hours, Kidnap and Vacation, also set to hit theaters on that date.

At Birdland every Monday night at 9:30pm, Jim Caruso's Cast Party celebrates talent from every corner of the entertainment scene. Broadway, jazz, cabaret, pop, folk, country…over the past twelve years, the Cast Party crowds have been entertained by most every genre of music! This past week, the talent was off-the-charts. Rachel Tucker, the recent star of The Last Ship on Broadway, gained a slew of new fans with two Kander & Ebb anthems that had the crowd standing, stomping and cheering for more!

As the days dwindled down to a precious few in 2014, a few cabaret goers and performers in what is affectionately but also self-mockingly called the “cabaret community” would sidle up and ask if I was planning my annual end-of-the year “Best Of” column, similar to the “Top 20 Bests and Favorites” piece over the first half of the year I posted back in early July. I would respond in the negative with very reasonable and believable excuses, but the truth is I didn't want to reveal my “Bests” of the year until the voting for the 2014 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards had ended. There's enough baggage and backstage whispering that comes with administering the BWW Awards, so I wasn't about to publish any opinions that might influence the vote while it was in process. I may be crazy but I'm not masochistic. But now all bets are off. You want lists? I'll give you lists.

Last September, after appearing at the popular Manhattan open mic cabaret show, Salon, Bistro and MAC Award-winning singer Amy Beth Williams was struck by a car near her home in Brooklyn. Now an all-star roster of Williams' fellow cabaret performers and friends will stage a benefit show, Once In Love With Amy, at Don't Tell Mama tonight, January 21 at 7 pm, to help replace the funds Williams has lost during her extensive recovery.

Last September, after appearing at the popular Manhattan open mic cabaret show, Salon, Bistro and MAC Award-winning singer Amy Beth Williams was struck by a car near her home in Brooklyn. Now an all-star roster of Williams' fellow cabaret performers and friends will stage a benefit show, Once In Love With Amy, at Don't Tell Mama on January 21 at 7 pm, to help raise the funds Williams has lost during her extensive recovery.

For 60 continuous hours, from 7pm on Thursday January 1 to 7am on Sunday January 4, New York's Metropolitan Room is staging what it is billing as "The Longest Variety Show Ever." Featuring approximately 160 performers and 15 emcees, the entertainment will span music, burlesque, comedy, drag, theatre/opera, magic and puppetry.

If you've been a regular reader of this particular reviewer's musings, you know that every year there are long stretches of time where I just haven't been able to critique all the shows I've seen that deserve commentary. So I end up playing what they call in sports, 'Catch-up ball,' and post a mash up of belated reviews from past shows. It's kind of like a critic's version of the song 'Six Months Out of Every Year,' from Damn Yankees. Give or take a month or two, that's usually the time period during which I store unpublished reviews in my fevered brain and then unload them all in one seemingly endless column-like this one is going to be. If my cabaret-show reviewing days will be over (as chronicled here), I might as well go out with a bang-and relieve my procrastination guilt during holiday season. Now I can scratch one New Year's resolution off the list.