Billie Holiday News

Despite earlier rumors that Rafe Spall could be starring opposite his father, Timothy Spall, in Harold Pinter's THE CARETAKER at the Old Vic, The Daily Mail has just revealed Daniel Mays and George MacKay have boarded the production.

According to the Daily Mail, Zoe Wanamaker, Barbara Flynn and Nina Sosanya will star in CONSTELLATIONS playwright Nick Payne's new play ELEGY at the Donmar Warehouse this spring.

Billie Holiday will be traveling across the pond this summer! Six-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald will make her West End debut as the legendary jazz icon in LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL for a ten-week run at Wyndham's Theatre from 25 June 2016.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director; Peter Napolitano, Associate Producer) continues its 32nd season with the World Premiere of Mabel Madness, the dramatic story with music about the life of the famous cabaret chanteuse, Mabel Mercer, written and performed by Tony Award Winner Trezana Beverley (For Colored Girls...).  Co-directed by Frances Hill and Peter Napolitano with musical direction by Tuffus Zimbabwe, Mabel Madness begins its Off-Broadway run at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) beginning February 19, opening on Thursday, February 25 and running through March 20, 2016. Tickets are $40 ($25 during previews; Students are $15) and are available at www.urbanstages.org or by calling 1-866-811-4111.

Each monthly event will feature a different theme and the performances will be followed by an acoustic jam session allowing for audience/artist collaboration. The other monthly themes include A Valentine's Jazz Special on Feb. 14; The Billie Holiday Songbook on March 5; Groove Explorations on April 17; Latin Vibes on May 8; and The Music of Thelonious Monk on June 5.

After a sold-out engagement last February, renowned San Francisco Bay Area jazz vocalist, Paula West, returns to Feinstein's at the Nikko for a four-week engagement - February 11 - March 6, 2016.  Known for her rich, powerful contralto voice, West will present an all-new show featuring an eclectic range of songs by Bob Dylan, Glen Campbell, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Waters, and more!  Accompanied by her four-piece band, West will take San Francisco audiences on a musical journey through the ages.  Tickets for Paula West range in price from $40-$60 and are available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com. 

Join the Tiffany Austin Quintet in celebrating Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone with Bessie, Billie and Nina: Celebrating the Queens of Swing on Saturday, January 30 at 7 p.m. at Feinstein's at the Nikko.

Sally Kellerman, the Oscar-nominated "Hot Lips" Houlihan of the original Robert Altman film 'M*A*S*H,' will bring her acclaimed show, 'A Little Jazz, a Little Blues, a Little Rock and Roll' to the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood for a special post-holiday engagement on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 8:00 PM.

What happens when you put Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson and Gladys Knight together in the same room for a day? Well you certainly get some great nostalgic music that's for sure. Originally presented in 2001, Dynamite Divas will also feature Divas from the past such as Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Nina Simone, December 12, 2015 - January 24, 2016.

Producers Daniel Nardicio and Andy Brattain will honor Edith Piaf, the iconic French songstress on her actual 100th Birthday with PIAF: A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION with stars from Broadway, London's West End, Jazz, Cabaret and Rock 'n' Roll.

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America, together with Verizon and Hologram USA, will give one La Banda superfan the experience of a lifetime when they join the show via hologram as the “4th Judge.”

Described as “An Afternoon of Famous Duets,” Saturday's Urban Stages Winter Rhythms presentation (Day Four of the 11-day, 20-show festival) was unexpectedly sweeping in its approach, covering duos that sang pop, folk, jazz, Great American Songbook, and musical theater tunes. With veteran cabaret singer Sue Matsuki serving as producer and host, and Musical Director Gregory Toroian on piano, the show encompassed both the predictable and the surprising and was a genuine pleasure.

KATHY SLEDGE will release her much anticipated new single titled KEEP IT MOVIN' on iTunes and all digital platforms today, December 1.

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, is set to celebrate Thanksgiving in style with a special prix fixe menu from Executive Chef Lynn Bound.

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its upcoming nightly performances from November 25-December 6, 2015. Scroll down or visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

Ann Hampton Callaway's new Thanksgiving week show at Feinstein's/54 Below (what has become an annual holiday appearance), Feminine Persuasion, celebrates women songwriters who excel at the craft, one of the few creative sectors where men have not held them back. Covering the waterfront, her selection includes, in part, Peggy Lee, whom she calls “the first singer/songwriter” (perhaps the first highly visible and successful one), Carolyn Lee “a secretary who didn't know how to take dictation,” “optimistic” Dorothy Fields--the first woman to win an Oscar for a song--and baby boomers Carole King and Joni Mitchell, and current pop star, Adele. “These women were/are trailblazers who broke through with their own voices.”

For her annual Thanksgiving week show at Feinstein's/54 Below, Ann Hampton Callaway has crafted an exciting world premiere night of music centered on the songs of women songwriters who have inspired her. Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," Carole King's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", and Dorothy Field's "The Way You Look Tonight" are among the gems carefully chosen by he Platinum-selling composer and lyricist. Classics by Peggy Lee, Joni Mitchell, and Cynthia Weil, as well as songs by friends Michelle Brourman and Amanda McBroom reflect the unique female perspective on love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

This 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, visitwww.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

For her annual Thanksgiving week show at 54 Below, Callaway crafted an exciting world premiere night of music centered on the songs of women songwriters who have inspired her. BroadwayWorld was there along with Michael Feinstein, Ginny Mancinni, Arlene Dahl, Clint Holmes, Marc Cherry and others. Billie Holiday's 'God Bless the Child,' Carole King's 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow?', and Dorothy Field's 'The Way You Look Tonight' are among the gems carefully chosen by he Platinum-selling composer and lyricist. Classics by Peggy Lee, Joni Mitchell, and Cynthia Weil, as well as songs by friends Michelle Brourman and Amanda McBroom reflect the unique female perspective on love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.