Last week I had the exceptional privilege of interviewing newly minted SAG and Golden Globe-winner for Best Actor In A Drama Series for his work on HBO'S BOARDWALK EMPIRE, Steve Buscemi, along with his wife, artist/choreographer Jo Andres, about their participation in the experimental music/theater space in Brooklyn, ISSUE Project Room. For those that are not aware, ISSUE Project Room is a community performance space for up-and-coming musicians, artists, performers and choreographers at 110 Livingston Street with the goal of creating a centralized space for all the arts - avant garde and otherwise. In addition to discussing their shared beginnings in the fringe theatre scene in the East Village in the eighties and the artists who inspired them, Buscemi and Andres also talk about the ultimate goals of the venue, both new and old, and the reason that now is the perfect time for a space such as this to flourish, as new artists get the opportunity to see their work produced. Further information about the venue - and how you can become a member - can be found here.
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'Michael Feinstein's American Songbook,' a three-part series about the history of American song hosted by singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, will premiere on PBS on October 6, TV by the Numbers reports. Parts Two and Three will air on October 13 and 20, respectively. All three parts will air at 8pm on their respective dates. Feinstein will perform standards and discuss his own experiences, including encounters with notable performers and composers and his efforts to preserve the history of the Great American Songbook. The series will also include archival footage.
Today we begin a new comprehensive academic music discussion series on BroadwayWorld in which I speak to the most cutting-edge artists in the recording industry, on Broadway and in Hollywood about their influences and experiences in the industry with an emphatic emphasis on the songwriting process itself and what drives and inspires it. While these discussions may be on occasion only tangentially theatre-related, the insights provided by the various participants is a demonstrative way in which to illuminate perhaps the most mysterious of all the arts: music. Peering into the psyche of the composer and lyricist, we may begin to understand what the craft of composition and lyric-writing is all about and why musical theatre tends to attract the most talented and innovative songwriters, both in the twentieth-century and today (as this column proves).
Today we talk to the world's foremost authority on twentieth-century music, the incomparable cabaret artist and Broadway performer known for his countless albums and appearances on film, television and stages worldwide, the affable and well-spoken - and encyclopedic - Michael Feinstein! In this SOUND OFF Special Interview he does BroadwayWorld the special honor of diagramming a lesser known gem - in this case, one of Cole Porter's final compositions - in his inimitable and illuminating style, as well as opening up about his new PBS reality series. We simultaneously speak to acclaimed directed Amber Edwards (WORDS & MUSIC: JERRY HERMAN) who also provides her insights on how to approach documentation of a life as rich, varied and hectic as Feinstein's. Lest we forget, he also owns and operates the premier cabaret club in Manhattan, Feinstein's At The Regency! Talking everything from Ira and George to iPods and Glee, Feinstein and Edwards share their insights and experiences in championing the twenty-first century Great American Songbook on television and on the internet in 2010 and bringing Feinstein's formidable talents to a whole new generation. All of that, and more show tunes than you can shake a stick at! Be sure to tune into your local PBS station next Wednesday at 8 PM for the premiere episode of MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK!
Feinsteins_American_Songbook_20010101
'Michael Feinstein's American Songbook,' a three-part series about the history of American song hosted by singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, will premiere on PBS on October 6, TV by the Numbers reports. Parts Two and Three will air on October 13 and 20, respectively. All three parts will air at 8pm on their respective dates. Feinstein will perform standards and discuss his own experiences, including encounters with notable performers and composers and his efforts to preserve the history of the Great American Songbook. The series will also include archival footage.
The American Theatre Wing, the not-for-profit service organization dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, will honor acclaimed composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, as well as steadfast corporate partner Visa Inc., at the Wing's Annual Spring Gala on Monday, May 19, 2008.
Reached by telephone in Florida on the day after Christmas, Jerry Herman had just taken his morning swim and was enjoying the balmy weather. 'It's beautiful here. You know you take your chances with the weather this time of the year even in Miami, but it's just been beautiful.' After doing considerable reading about the composer and enjoying a lengthy conversation with him, it is quite apparent that much of this man's life has indeed been quite beautiful.
Words and Music by Jerry Herman will premiere in the New York metro area on WNET New York, Monday, December 31 at 10PM; and nationwide on PBS, including NJN Public Television, Tuesday, January 1, 2008 at 9:30PM.
Blue Hill Troupe, Ltd., the only musical theater group in New York City to donate its net proceeds to charity, presents Mame, November 2 - 10 at Dicapo Opera Theater
Amber Edwards' grand and glorious documentary about Broadway's most beloved master of the simple, catchy melody is loaded with rare film footage and proof his scores are more than just hummable tunes.
On Sunday, June 10th at L.A.'s Skirball Center, the Actors Fund paid tribute to Jerry Herman at its 11th Annual Tony Awards Party, featuring a live feed of the 61st Annual Tony Awards as they happened in New York.
The Actors' Fund will pay tribute to Jerry Herman at its 11th Annual Tony Awards Party featuring a live feed of the Tony Awards as they happen in New York
The 92nd St Y hosted a private preview screening on Wednesday, May 23 of the soon-to-seen NJN/PBS documentary - Words and Music by Jerry Herman, a film by Amber Edwards.
The Actors' Fund will pay tribute to Jerry Herman at its 11th Annual Tony Awards Party featuring a live feed of the Tony Awards as they happen in New York.
