Beth Leavel News

Tony Award winner Beth Leavel, one of Broadway's brightest stars, will serve as the guest star and co-host for the 17th Annual COLUMN Awards Gala.

Broadway stars Lisa Howard (It Shoulda Been You) and John Bolton (A Christmas Story: The Musical) are joining the cast of AMERICAN SHOWSTOPPERS featuring Fred Barton & His Orchestra in 'An Evening with Cole Porter' next month.

Drummer Kenny Hadley is Franklin Performing Arts Company's go-to guy for live music. The company, now celebrating a milestone 25th anniversary, showcases professional musicians for all mainstage productions and presents an ambitious schedule of music series events at THE BLACK BOX, FPAC's new home and performance venue. Hadley's relationship with FPAC goes back to 1995 when the drummer played the debut production of 'Tis the Season!, FPAC's original holiday musical. The company's orchestra contractor since the mid-2000s, Hadley now hires for six FPAC productions annually. At THE BLACK BOX this season, Hadley has played performances ranging from The Addams Family musical and Cabaret Series dates to a reunion gig with the R&B band Soul Kitchen and a Jazz Series presentation with his own critically acclaimed Kenny Hadley Big Band.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: The Songs of Tor & Lisa, ft. Brandon Victor Dixon, and more; New Musicals at 54: Fallout by Kyle Jarrow and Nick Blaemire; Kyle Dean Massey at 54 Below; Jasper In Deadland CD Release Concert; and Broadway Couples Sing I Do! I Do! For Valentine's Day.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, has cast the first same sex couple to participate in Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt's classic musical I DO! I DO! on February 14th, 2016.

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Feinstein's/54 Below with BROADWAY COUPLES SING I DO! I DO! on FEBRUARY 14 AT 7PM & 9:30PM. Real life Broadway couples sing from the hit musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt about the ups and downs of marriage. A special $85 prix-fixe menu will be available.

AMERICAN SHOWSTOPPERS - featuring Fred Barton & His Orchestra and starring a cast of today's best Broadway performers - will present "An Evening with Cole Porter" at Pace University's Schimmel Center in New York on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 PM and then Kingsborough Community College's Goldstein Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, March 5 at 8:00 PM.  The cast of outstanding Broadway performers includes Beth Leavel (Tony Award winner for The Drowsy Chaperone), Sean McGibbon, Paula Leggett Chase, Damon Kirsche, Karen Murphy and Jesse Luttrell in addition to the Scott Thompson Dancers. The show is produced, orchestrated, conducted and hosted by Fred Barton with direction and choreography by Scott Thompson.

Tony Award-nominee, Jarrod Spector (Beautiful, Jersey Boys) leads the industry reading cast of DEATH - The Musical, with book, music & lyrics by Tony Award-nominee, Paul Gordon (Jane Eyre, Daddy Long Legs, Analog & Vinyl), with presentations set for today and tomorrow, January 14th & 15th, 2016, in Manhattan.

Tony Award-nominee, Jarrod Spector (Beautiful, Jersey Boys), has just joined the industry reading cast of DEATH - The Musical

?Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents BROADWAY COUPLES SING I DO! I DO! on February 14th, 2016. To celebrate Valentine's Day, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's classic look into a fifty-year marriage will get a one night only, all-star concert, featuring some of Broadway's most legendary couples.

In an unprecedented outpouring of support by performers, a second show had to be added to accommodate the number of stars that wanted to sing in honor of Barbara Siegel's contributions to the theater as first an Outer Critics Circle Nominator and then a Drama Desk Nominator (the latter, 18 years, 12 of those as chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee).

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Gotta Dance' makes announcements, and 'My Way' and 'Christmas Dearest' extend. 'A Midwinter Mummers Tale' sells out, as'Guys And Dolls' rounds out the year. DePaul hosts a new children's musical, Northwestern hosts the Sarah Siddons Society, and 'Nunsense' aims for series regularity. And vote for the BWW Chicago Awards!

It's the holiday season at New York's legendary Drama Book Shop, now celebrating its 99th year of business. Since 1917, The Drama Book Shop has been the number one source for actors, directors, designers and dramatists to share, explore and discover new works of theatre. In 2017, The Tony Award-winning book shop will celebrate its 100th Anniversary. In honor of their rapidly approaching Centennial, the shop has reached out to some of its most beloved fans and asked them to share why they keep coming back for more.

Actor Tony Roberts celebrated his new memoir 'Do You Know Me?' -- which reveals the story of his legendary five-decade career on stage and screen -- with an in-store reading and book signing at The Drama Book Shop (250 West 40th Street) on yesterday, December 15.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: The Dooples appear off-Broadway, 'CURIOUS INCIDENT' hits a milestone and more!

The Little Sisters of Hoboken are back! Dan Goggin's hit musical comedy NUNSENSE is praying for a new home on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

What happens when you mix equal parts Murder, She Wrote with Mad Libs? You get Billy Mitchell's rib-tickling theatrical confection VILLAIN: DeBLANKS. Currently enjoying a residency at The Triad, audiences can catch the madcap hilarity on the first Sunday of each month through April 3, 2016.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) will honor Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, theatre executive and producer Darren P. DeVernaand former NYMF board chair Martin Grant at its 2015 Gala to be held on Sunday, November 15th at the Edison Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan (240 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036)

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) will honor Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, theatre executive and producer Darren P. DeVerna and former NYMF board chair Martin Grant at its 2015 Gala to be held on Sunday, November 15th at the Edison Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan (240 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036).