Bob Russell News

Old Library Theatre, Fair Lawn Recreation Department's resident theater company and NJACT's 2017 Community Theater of the Year, will present The Bridges of Madison County.

Old Library Theatre, Fair Lawn Recreation Department's resident theater company and NJACT's 2017 Community Theater of the Year, will present The Bridges of Madison County.

Heir to the Frankish throne, the young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power. But where will Pippin find extraordinary happiness?

4th Wall Theatre, a non union professional theatre in Bloomfield, NJ is presenting a new musical comedy, Take One, written by former SNL writer Jeff Ward. The show is being presented as part of the group's MID (Musicals-in-Development) Stage Series.

4TH WALL THEATRE opens its 20th anniversary season with the Broadway classic, Guys and Dolls in concert. The show features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The story is based on 'The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown' and 'Blood Pressure' - two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories - most notably 'Pick the Winner.' The show has a limited run of September 30, and October 1, 2 at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield.

4TH WALL THEATRE opens its 20th anniversary season with the Broadway classic, Guys and Dolls in concert. The show features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The story is based on 'The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown' and 'Blood Pressure' - two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories - most notably 'Pick the Winner.' The show has a limited run of September 30, and October 1, 2 at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield.

4TH WALL THEATRE opens its 20th anniversary season with the Broadway classic, Guys and Dolls in concert. The show features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. The story is based on 'The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown' and 'Blood Pressure' - two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories - most notably 'Pick the Winner.' The show has a limited run of September 30, and October 1, 2 at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield.

?Acclaimed vocalist GABRIELLE STRAVELLI and celebrated jazz pianist MICHAEL KANAN will release the powerfully intimate new duet recording Stairway to the Stars on June 24. The album is currently available in digital formats. Stairway to the Stars is produced by Gabrielle Stravelli and Pat O'Leary. 

The spirit of jazz legends Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald (with a little Tito Puente) was palpable in the Milton Berle room at New York's Friars Club on April 25 for the second-annual production of Triple Threats. Broadway veterans (including Duke's granddaughter, Mercedes Ellington, who also co-produced the show) joined some of America's most accomplished jazz musicians to celebrate the April birthdays of the music greats and to honor those performers who sing, dance, and act at the highest levels.

Bar Thalia, a narrow, uber-casual bar/café adjacent to the Upper West Side arts hub Symphony Space, has become the musical pied-à-terre of vocalist Marcus Goldhaber. Each first Sunday of the month, the artist presents two loosey-goosey acoustic sets with a guest singer and guitarist. The past Sunday's show featured vocalist Tessa Souter with Tony Romano on guitar.

Last week, Betty Buckley returned to Joe's Pub to debut her newest cabaret concert DARK BLUE-EYED BLUES. Thrilled to have been recognized as a chanteuse in recent reviews, Buckley programmed the evening to be the "musings of a chanteuse," packing the set with standards and contemporary hits. The Broadway legend performed with tangible vivacity and charm, making this intimate evening a joy to experience.

Voting is now underway for Cleveland! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for Cleveland! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for Cleveland! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for Cleveland! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for Cleveland! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for Cleveland! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

With her tribute show to the music of Harold Arlen and Duke Allington, 'When Harry Met The Duke' is Rosemary Loar's creative foray back into the caressing arms of the Great American Songbook. If you consider that the contemporary cabaret scene in New York is 30 years on (since the opening of Don't Tell Mama in 1982 and the start of MAC in 1983), there have been likely been thousands of cabaret shows with GAS themes and the interesting new ideas may be down to a precious few. And Loar, who has been performing cabaret shows during that same time frame, has managed to come up with yet another variation and her erudite and accessibly sophisticated show goes down like a delicious vodka martini topped with a skewer of blue cheese stuffed olives.

Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory (FPAC), the theatre arm of Fairmount Center for the Arts, is pleased to present Greg Kotis' musical, URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL, at the Mayfield Civic Center August 10-19.

It was a soulful force of nature that shook the music memorabilia on the walls of the Iridium on the night of August 7. From her opening number-a song from her recently released debut CD 'Listen, I Mean It'-veteran R&B singer Lauren Robert gave her musical testimony through her intense interpretation of blues, gospel and rock songs. She meant it. And everyone gladly listened.