Barbara Cook News

Amanda McBroom has been called 'the greatest cabaret performer of her generation, an urban poet who writes like an angel and has a voice to match.' Her name first came to the attention of the music public when Bette Midler's version of Amanda's song 'The Rose' hit number one all over the world. But it was Amanda's performance of her own songs on the Golden Globes, the Grammy awards, and the Tonight Show that launched her career as a singer as well as a songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Judy Collins, Barbara Cook, Harry Belafonte, Betty Buckley, The Manhattan Transfer, and Donny Osmond.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced its 2013-2014 theater season. Reaching hundreds of thousands of audience members annually, the theater season features a new Kennedy Center re-imagining of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show, in association with La Jolla Playhouse with revisions by Krieger and Russell and direction by Academy Award winning director Bill Condon; touring productions of Sister Act, Elf, Flashdance – The Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher, An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, and Disney's The Lion King; and an international theater festival highlighting renowned companies from around the world. The season will also bring the seventh season of Barbara Cook's Spotlight series, individually showcasing five Broadway performers in a cabaret setting. Committed to arts education, creation of new works, and community and national involvement, the Center also hosts the 12th annual Page-to-Stage new play festival and the 46th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

The 28th Annual Bistro Awards gala, set to take place tonight, March 4, has announced some of its main presenters. Unlike most other awards show, the Bistro Awards is an evening filled with great performances from the winners - stars as well as talented newcomers - who represent a wide variety of styles from the worlds of cabaret, comedy, and jazz.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. The second weekend of Kaplan Penthouse performances, the sixth week of American Songbook 2013, runs April 5-6, 2013. April 5th belongs to Cristin Milioti, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her lead role in the musical Once.

Bay Area Cabaret presents the Bay Area concert debut of Britain's dazzling Elaine Paige. Dubbed 'The First Lady of Musical Theatre,' Ms. Paige will perform an evening of the career-defining showstoppers that earned her a place among Broadway and the West End's most treasured performers.

Cabaret Icon Michael Feinstein returns to the McCallum Theatre with 'The Sinatra Project,' for two performances - tonight, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 -- dedicated to the great Frank Sinatra. Michael reflects Sinatra's sensibility by interpreting the songs in conceptually different styles from Sinatra's own renditions. The results are fascinatingly unique and memorably beautiful. Billed 'The Sinatra Project', the concert is presented in two parts on these consecutive evenings. In the second concert, Michael reinterprets songs by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, and more. 'The second volume is really about Sinatra and his friends,' says Michael. 'It's about the people he influenced and who influenced him.'

Actors' Playhouse presents Broadway's Tony Award-winning Best Musical In The Heights at the Miracle Theatre from March 7 - April 6, 2013.

The Amanda McBroom Project: 1 Great Songwriter, 4 Magical Nights, 30 Incredible Women! will play the Laurie Beechman Theatre, March 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 7pm.

The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel brings the late night, downtown vibe to the Upper East Side with its new "Second Act, A Late Night Series of Fun and Entertainment" at the Cafe Carlyle. The new series begins March 1st in the iconic cabaret room and will host the series of performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturdaynights at 10:45pm, following performances of the Cafe Carlyle's regularly scheduled season lineup. Stacy Sullivan will kick off the Second Act Series, followed by Jo Thompsonand "Midnight at Gatsbys: The F. Scott Fitzgerald Songbook."

The 28th Annual Bistro Awards gala, set to take place on Monday, March 4, has announced some of its main presenters. Unlike most other awards show, the Bistro Awards is an evening filled with great performances from the winners - stars as well as talented newcomers - who represent a wide variety of styles from the worlds of cabaret, comedy, and jazz.

Bay Area Cabaret will present the singer, songwriter, and actress Nellie McKay in a special performance with San Francisco's multiple Grammy winning a cappella ensemble, Chanticleer.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. 'American Songbook in the Penthouse' embraces adventuresome performers and celebrates composers and lyricists, both newer and veteran. With a seating capacity of just 225, the Kaplan Penthouse allows acoustic performers to be heard the way they intend - near to the audience and without elaborate amplification. The size of the space also allows performers to interact with their audience to make them an integral part of their performance, something difficult to do in a larger, more formal venue.

Due to illness, Barbara Cook has postponed her upcoming concert with UApresents.

Armed with twice the vocal power and awash with plenty of real, fiery chemistry, Broadway vets -- and real-life married couple -- Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley's romantically-themed cabaret showcase titled 'He Said/She Said' played to packed audiences at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa over Valentine's Day Weekend, February 14 - 16. The touring concert act was cheekily explained as the couple's true love story told via specially-selected tunes that span Broadway and the Great American Songbook.

Bay Area Cabaret presents the Bay Area concert debut of Britain's dazzling Elaine Paige. Dubbed 'The First Lady of Musical Theatre,' Ms. Paige will perform an evening of the career-defining showstoppers that earned her a place among Broadway and the West End's most treasured performers.

Cabaret Icon Michael Feinstein returns to the McCallum Theatre with 'The Sinatra Project,' for two performances - Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 -- dedicated to the great Frank Sinatra. Michael reflects Sinatra's sensibility by interpreting the songs in conceptually different styles from Sinatra's own renditions. The results are fascinatingly unique and memorably beautiful. Billed 'The Sinatra Project', the concert is presented in two parts on these consecutive evenings. In the second concert, Michael reinterprets songs by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peggy Lee, and more. 'The second volume is really about Sinatra and his friends,' says Michael. 'It's about the people he influenced and who influenced him.'

I had the pleasure of attending the Teatro Lirico D'Europa MADAMA BUTTERFLY last evening at The McCallum Theatre and was once again swept away in Puccini's exquisite score and timeless love story. The vocalists were stellar; every one - everything else in the production was a little sub-par. Even though the singers were truly thrilling, their characters were cold and distant and it was difficult to find any empathy for them - except what was inherent in the score itself. But, even with its deficits, it was a wonderful way to spend an evening in the theatre.

Edward Watts will star as Superman in the New York City Center Encores! production of It's a Bird…It's a Plane…It's Superman, runningMarch 20- 24 at City Center. Stay tuned for the identities of the actors portraying Lois Lane, the evil Dr. Sedgwick and other inhabitants of the city of Metropolis.

Live From Lincoln Center presents 'Kristin Chenoweth: The Dames of Broadway…All of 'Em!!!', a specially conceived concert for Lincoln Center's 2013 American Songbook series, which salutes the great roles for leading ladies and the sidekick scene stealers from an array of Broadway composers and lyricists, creating a performance that promises to be at once intimate and filled with her trademark 'razzle dazzle.' 'Kristin Chenoweth: The Dames of Broadway…All of 'Em!!!' is hosted by Live From Lincoln Center series host Audra McDonald and will air on PBS stations on Sunday, March 24, at 8 p.m. (ET) (check local listings).

Eric Michael Gillett's Careless Rhapsody: An Evening Dedicated to the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart, will play 54 Below, tonight, February 4 at 7pm, February 7 at 9:30pm and February 26 & 27 at 7pm.