Billy Joel News

William Blake (Male Vocalist of the Year, BWW Cabaret Awards), Tony Award Nominee Will Chase (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Aida, Billy Elliot, Rent, Miss Saigon), Julia Murney (Wicked, Lennon, The Wild Party, Saved!), singer-songwriter Samia Najimy Finnerty, N'Kenge (Motown The Musical, Sondheim on Sondheim), Jill Paice (A Little Night Music, Curtains, The Woman in White, The 39 Steps), Matt Shingledecker (West Side Story, Rent, Spring Awakening), A. J. Shively (Unlock'd, La Cage Aux Folles, February House), American Idol Top 10 Finalist Erika Van Pelt and Tony Yazbeck (Gypsy, A Chorus Line, On The Town, White Christmas) will perform songs from the Billy Joel songbook at the July edition of The Pop Show at Birdland Jazz Club.

Sing Me a Story: Some tales can't be told... will play the Duplex on Friday, July 12th at 9:30pm.

Back on April 1, when he posted his third compilation of delayed cabaret reviews from shows staged during the winter, BroadwayWorld.com's lead New York cabaret reviewer promised Number 4 would come with arrival of summer. Okay, so he missed his self-imposed deadline by a couple of weeks. but here's yet another catch-up column with critiques of a half dozen spring shows performed by Bryan Batt, Dawn Derow, Lynly Forrest, Dennis McNeil, Anastasia Barzee, and Nina Hennessey.

Golden Rainbow celebrated 27 years of service to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada at its 27th annual 'Ribbon of Life' fundraiser at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, June 30. Scroll down for photos of the festivities!

ImprovBoston is pleased to bring The Joe Moses Showes to its Mainstage theatre for two days only. This hilarious show arrives at ImprovBoston Saturday, July 27, with two shows at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and for one 2 p.m. show on Sunday, July 28. Tickets to each show cost $35 and include a meet and greet with the cast beginning one hour before each scheduled showtime. This show is all-ages. Tickets are available at www.improvboston.com. ImprovBoston is located at 40 Prospect Street.

David Ayers (Wicked and SILENCE!) in the role of 'Robert,' Billie Holiday's Manager along with newcomer Rafael Poueriet in the role of the 'Assistant Stage manager' as well as Jim Cammack (veteran bass player for legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal), Ken Hitchcock (NY Saxophone Quartet & Manhattan Jazz Orchestra's acclaimed tenor sax player), Jerome Jennings (performer & drummer for Benny Golson and Sonny Rollins) and Bill Jolly (three-time Emmy Award winning pianist/composer/arranger) in the speaking roles of the onstage musicians complete the acting ensemble for the upcoming Billie Holiday musical 'Lady Day' starring Tony and multiple Grammy Award-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater. With an opening set for Thursday, October 3rd (6:30PM) the production will take residence at Times Square's Little Shubert Theatre (422 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). Written and directed by Stephen Stahl, the musical will make its New York debut having been produced at the Theatre de Boulogne-Billancourt and Theatre du Gymnase Marie Bell in Paris as well as The Donmar Warehouse and The Piccadilly Theatre in London, where it received critical praise and garnered an Olivier 'Best Actress in a Musical' Award nomination for Ms. Bridgewater. Produced by Misty Road Productions the show's creative team also includes Mr. Jolly, who will also serve as musical director. Preview performances are slated to begin Thursday, September 19th(8PM).

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein have announced the upcoming lineup- including newly added performers Jack Jones, Missi Pyle and and Ariana Savalas - at the all-new Feinstein's at the Nikko for the months of July, August, and September.

The fifth annual Coyote CountryFest, featuring country music stars Brantley Gilbert, Kip Moore and three budding country music acts, returns to the Orleans Arena on Saturday, August 10. Singer-songwriter Gilbert achieved great success with his sophomore album, "Halfway to Heaven" featuring two No. 1 singles on the country charts, "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do." This show is a stop on Gilbert's first-ever headlining tour. An accomplished songwriter, Gilbert penned Jason Aldean's hit "Dirt Road Anthem." Gilbert performed at the Orleans Arena in April at the Academy of Country Music Award's Party for a Cause Festival.

Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician MATT WHITE--known for his moving pop rock songs and strikingly intimate vocal delivery--will debut his new song 'Love And Affection' on The Bachelorette airing tonight, June 24 at 8/7c on ABC.

Darling Parade won a coveted slot to play VMA weekend, while more than 50 bands, 5 kittens and one goat took part in "Live Music Day Festival," the world's largest online/mobile only music festival.

Legendary Broadway stars will be coming to Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center in an intimate cabaret setting starting in July.

AXS TV will broadcast Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park exclusively in North America with performances from Bon Jovi, Elton John And His Band, Lionel Richie, and Jennifer Lopez, it was jointly announced today by AEG Live UK, The Royal Parks and AXS TV. The television concert event will air Saturday July 13 and Sunday July 14 from Hyde Park in London and will also feature Gary Clark, Jr. among other artists to be announced.

More than 100 million votes were cast, a new O Music Awards record, and more than doubling the votes from O Music Awards 3.

Casting for Musical Theatre West's (MTW) production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's international hit musical Sunset Boulevard , has been announced by MTW Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman and Director Larry Raben. The 1950 Oscar-winning motion picture of the same title first starred screen legends Gloria Swanson (as Norma Desmond) and William Holden (as Joe Gillis) before it opened as a musical in London's West End starring Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson at the Adelphi Theatre July 12, 1993 where it ultimately ran for 1529 performances.

Andrea McArdle, best known for originating the role of Annie in the 1977 Broadway production of ANNIE, premiered her solo cabaret show 70'S AND SUNNY to sold-out houses at 54 Below in late July 2012. She triumphantly retuned to the venue with an equally successful engagement in January. The album, compiled from live recordings of her January 17-19 run, 70S AND SUNNY - LIVE AT 54 BELOW pristinely captures her enthusiastically nostalgic and fascinating performances. As a voice that helped shape and define a decade, she humbly tributes other influential artists of the 70s by presenting audiences with music from the likes of Peter Alan, Stephen Schwartz, Billy Joel, Jerry Herman, and Marvin Hamlisch.

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83), will present the rollicking World Premiere of SHAKESPEARE'S CYMBELINE: A FOLK TALE WITH MUSIC, previewing tonight, June 19, opening Saturday, June 22 at 8:15 p.m., and running through July 21, 2013.

When I was first asked to be a guest blogger, I thought my focus would be to provide an operatic perspective on the world of theatre and vice versa. Since there are an infinite number of differences to discuss from the training to the music to the casting process to the productions to the artists themselves, I was pretty set on always being able to find a topic about which to write. But as I found my voice as a writer, I discovered instead that I was relating the similarities in the lifestyles, the subjectivity of art in general and how being an artist, regardless of specialty, is the most wonderful job in the world.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted another batch of legends last night, as it welcomed Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner, Holly Knight, JD Souther and Tony Hatch.

On Monday night, The Pop Show - a new series in the Broadway at Birdland lineup, celebrated the songs of Adele with an all-star cast and a packed house. BroadwayWorld has photos from the concert below!

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83), will present the rollicking World Premiere of SHAKESPEARE'S CYMBELINE: A FOLK TALE WITH MUSIC, previewing June 19, opening Saturday, June 22 at 8:15 p.m., and running through July 21, 2013. This wondrous new version of the timeless Shakespearean folk tale has been moved to Civil War Appalachia and includes 10 original songs featuring beautiful bluegrass melodies. SHAKESPEARE'S CYMBELINE: A FOLK TALE WITH MUSIC is adapted by First Folio Theatre's Executive Director and Jeff Award-nominee, David Rice, with Music and Lyrics by Rice and Michael Keefe (First Folio's Resident Composer). Michael Goldberg (The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream at First Folio Theatre) directs the "Shakespeare Under the Stars" production, which concludes First Folio Theatre's smash hit 2013 season. It will appear on the outdoor main stage situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate.