Barbara Cook News

Bay Area Cabaret has announced that due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, Stacey Kent, originally scheduled to perform on March 15, has been forced to postpone her appearance to next season. In her place, Bay Area Cabaret will present Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter JUDY COLLINS. With a crystalline voice that famously introduced generations to her own interpretations of songs by Joni Mitchell ('Both Sides Now'), The Beatles ('In My Life'), Bob Dylan ('Mr. Tambourine Man') and others in a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Ms. Collins holds a remarkable place in the music lexicon. Her repertoire encompasses folk music, show tunes, pop, and rock and roll. Ms. Collins will perform one-night-only, 8pm, Saturday, March 15, at the historic Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street. Subscriber tickets for Stacey Kent will be honored and additional tickets for non-subscribers ($65, plus a limited number of $100 premium seats) are now available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400.

Steve Goodman, the Chicago-born folk music singer-songwriter whose promising career was cut short in 1984, is brought to life by Elaine St. George, in a loving and irreverent tribute that begins an extended run at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, tonight, January 29 at 7:30pm.

Tonight, January 28, 2014 at 7:30pm at Opera America's National Opera Center, New York Festival of Song opens the 2013-14 edition of its forward-looking NYFOS Next series with MARK ADAMO & FRIENDS.

Manhattan Theatre Club will present its annual Winter Benefit, an evening of cocktails and dinner followed by a special one-night-only cabaret-style show featuring Broadway's brightest stars on Monday, February 3, 2014 at The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Fredrick P. Rose Hall (Broadway & 60th Street).

There was a lovefest for the great mezzo Marilyn Horne in New York last week, filled with the music of friends, acquaintances and admirers at Carnegie Hall's sibling, Zankel Hall.

MAC & Bistro Award-winning vocalist MARTA SANDERS will return to the Laurie Beechman Theatre with a special Valentine show for two performances, Saturday, February 15 at 7pm & Sunday, February 16 at 1pm. She will be accompanied by Musical Director John McMahon on the piano. This show is staged & directed by Debra Zalkind.

Internationally celebrated recording artist and performer Josh Groban shares some of his most inspiring and personal favorite musical selections as part of a special playlist now available to peruse and enjoy in anticipation of the upcoming HBO documentary JOSH GROBAN: SING YOUR SONG.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. News about the 'Phantom' and 'Cinderella' tours, suburban theaters mount 'Cabaret,' 'Young Frankenstein,' 'Ring Of Fire' and more, plus 'A New Brain,' Hollis Resnik's Milwaukee turn as Judy, and more this month from Circle Theatre!

Broadway composer and lyricist John Bucchino and bookwriter Mads Nielsen's Danish-American romantic musical drama ESAURA, recently conluded a Fall 2013 run at the Fredericia Teater. The plot of the new musical is based on a free adaptation of the 1905 novel by Carl E. Simonsen 'Abraham Fournais' and has parallels to the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet. The musical drama is set during the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericia and tells a fascinating story about human relationships. In short, it is a story with universal appeal played out in a Danish historical setting. Bucchino recently took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld about how the show got its start, what's in store for it's future, and more. Check out the full interview below!

Beautiful actress/singer Laura Benanti, Tony Award winner for Gypsy, performed at 54 Below in New York during 2013, and the live concert was recorded on Broadway Records. To celebrate the release of the CD entitled In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention, Chris Isaacson Presents booked Benanti into the Catalina Bar & Grill on Thursday January 9, and the show immediately sold out. As a result, an additional concert was scheduled for Wednesday January 8, which also sold out. Why such a fuss over Laura Benanti, you may ask? The answer is simple. Apart from the fact that this is her Los Angeles debut, let's add that like Audra McDonald, Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, this lady is a sensational singer with an incomparable range, and as the title of the album suggests, she is totally worthy of the highest form of attention. In her 75-minute set, which included just about every song on the album, she also proved what a winning charm and sense of humor she possesses! Like Patti LuPone before her, Laura Benanti has a precious wit that can only be experienced to its fullest in this kind of environment, namely a cabaret setting. She let her hair down and she was...GREAT! Outstanding musicians Kevin Axt was on bass, Ray Brinker on drums, Andrew Synowiec on guitar and virtuoso musical arranger and director Todd Almond also dueted with Benanti a couple of times during the set on pieces he had arranged or composed.

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is celebrating 10 years of Broadway POPS! with a concert starring Michael Feinstein, master of The Great American Songbook, on Saturday, February 8, at 8 pm at Richardson Auditorium on Princeton University Campus. The concert continues a tradition of quality pops programming featuring top Broadway artists accompanied by the PSO, and will be conducted by Sam Kriger.

Hal Leonard Corporation, the world's largest music print publisher, is proud to announce the release of the new songbook series Sondheim for Singers, the ultimate source for songs by Stephen Sondheim, the greatest musical theater composer/lyricist of the last half of the twentieth century. The five volumes of the series present 128 songs from 26 shows or films. There is a different contents list for each volume: Soprano, Belter/Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone/Bass, Duets.

Broadway star N'Kenge (Motown) is performing with the Naples Philharmonic, now through January 11, 2014.

Bay Area Cabaret presents the one and only Broadway legend Chita Rivera in a unique solo concert event celebrating her 80th Birthday: CHITA: A LEGENDARY CELEBRATION. The nine-time Tony nominee, two-time Tony Award winner (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and first Hispanic woman ever to receive the Kennedy Center Honor, will share perspectives and recreate signature moments from her legendary career.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are proud to welcome singer/songwriter John Bucchino to Feinstein's at the Nikko for one night only - Saturday, February 8 at 7 p.m. Called "a new American pop master" by the Houston Chronicle, Bucchino's songs have been performed and recorded by renowned pop (Art Garfunkel, Judy Collins), theatre (Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald), cabaret (Barbara Cook, Michael Feinstein), and classical (Yo-Yo Ma, Deborah Voight, Nathan Gunn) artists as well as The Boston Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, The Hollywood Bowl, The Kennedy Center, The Sydney Opera House, London's O2 Arena and The White House. San Francisco audiences will have a rare opportunity to hear Bucchino perform his songs in an intimate setting, and share stories of what inspired them. Buchhino will be joined by two guest singers: Nanci Zoppi and Maggie Hollinbeck. Tickets for John Bucchino range in price from $25-$35 and are available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

Carnegie Hall has announced its January 2014 calendar updates. Details below!

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are thrilled to welcome star of cabaret and Broadway, Terri White, to Feinstein's at the Nikko for one performance only - Saturday, February 1, 2014 at 7 p.m. From Blues to Broadway, Terri White has seen it all and lived to tell the tales! Join her as she brings her special brand of charm, humor and powerhouse vocals to the Feinstein's at the Nikko stage for a night of mischief.

Grammy Award-nominated singer and renowned interpreter of the Great American Songbook,Michael Feinstein, returns to Carnegie Hall with a special concert featuring a variety of love songs in celebration of Valentine's Day, on Friday, February 14 at 8:00 p.m. He is joined by special guests Laura Osnes (Broadway's Cinderella, and Maria in Carnegie Hall's The Sound of Music) andJulian Ovenden (Season Four of PBS's Downton Abbey, the West End's Finding Neverland, and as John F. Kennedy in the 'Bombshell' production on NBC's Smash).

Robert Creighton, David Garrison, Harriet Harris, Judy Kaye, Lewis J. Stadlen, Lee Wilkof, Tony Yazbeck and Rachel York will join Christian Borle in Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh¹s Little Me, the opening production of New York City Center¹s 2014 Encores! season, running for seven performances, February 5 - 9. The show will be directed by John Rando with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Joshua Bergasse.

Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) has announced that tickets to the new musical ARLINGTON by Victor Lodato and Polly Pen -- with previews set to begin Wednesday, February 12 prior to its official opening night on Sunday, March 2 - will go on sale Monday, January 6 at 1 p.m..