The Best in LA Theatre for 2014
(alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed)
(artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories)
The cast of fantastic singers included Kim Huber, Robert Yacko, Madison Claire Parks, Roger Befeler, special guest Jason Graae, and young singers Sami and Sarah Staitman, Brennley Brown, Paige Befeler and 10 year-old Hadley Belle Miller. Virtuoso pianist James Lent served as musical director for the event headed up by host Bruce Kimmel, who was in especially good form about to celebrate a birthday on December 8.
Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area, has set Sunday, December 14, 2014 as auditions for its 9th consecutive year of LA's Next Great Stage Star, it was announced today by Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling Publicity and Production in Los Angeles, CA.
On Sunday November 2, Kritzerland presented its 51st show Put on Your Sunday Clothes, The Songs of Jerry Herman at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal with special guest star Karen Morrow. No surprise that this was an uplifting, thoroughly enjoyable evening of song, for as host Bruce Kimmel stated up front, 'No one brings optimism to Broadway like Jerry Herman.' Fabulous Tom Griep served as musical director at the piano with super songsters David Engel, Valerie Perri, Damon Kirsche, Shannon Warne, Chelsea Emma Franko and 14 year-old Sami Staitman as well as the aforementioned queen of singers Karen Morrow. Singing doesn't get any better than this!
'So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star?,' a BroadwayWorld TV exclusive series, is teaming up with musical theatre songwriting duo KINOSIAN & BLAIR. Kinosian & Blair will be writing the 11 o'clock number to a musical adaptation of a 1980s cult television hit that series lead, Micki Manuel Minnelli, is auditioning for!
'So Ya Wanna Be a Broadway Star?,' a BroadwayWorld TV exclusive series will wrap it's first season Sunday, November 2nd with an exciting lineup of Broadway cameos. The first Broadway guest appearance will be none other than the lady in green herself, Broadway's current Elphaba, Christine Dwyer!
With the arrival of a two-disc studio recording of the complete Kander & Ebb score of And The World Goes Round from Kritzerland Records, there's reason to shout and sing out loud.Starring powerhouse vocalists Brent Barrett, Jason Graae, Christiane Noll, Kristin Towers-Rowles, Kyra DaCosta and musical director Joshua Eli Kranz, the discs offer more than two hours of simply sensational music.
Phoenix Theatre has released a new still from their Australian musical premiere of '50s sci-fi movie spoof, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET X. Pictured here is Cody Fullbrook as 'the brain.'
On Sunday September 7, at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal, due to an advance sell-out crowd for the 7 pm show, an additional matinee show was performed for the Fourth Anniversary of Kritzerland. Needless to say, both matinee and evening performances were sold out, making the monthly Kritzerland tributes the most popular shows at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. The anniversary party was entitled They're Playing Our Song: The Songs That Got Away III and along with special guests Kerry O'Malley and Bruce Vilanch, the big cast also included Robert Yacko, Evan Harris, Madison Claire Parks, Sami Staitman, Jenna Lea Rosen, and also little Hadley Miller, and in chorus numbers of What If?: Kimberly Hessler, Travis Leland, Bruce Merkle, and Adrienne Visnic, all under the baton of super musical director John Boswell. This marked the 49th Kritzerland show since its inception at the Gardenia in 2010, and its host Bruce Kimmel, founder of Kritzerland Records, was in rare form, doling out trivia-worthy anecdotes about every number presented, as well as singing a song himself, due to the absence of Guy Haines.
Kritzerland is proud to present a new Studio Cast Recording 2-CD set: AND THE WORLD GOES ROUND, The Songs of Kander and Ebb. This is the World Premiere Recording of the complete show!
Phoenix Theatre has released a new still from their Australian musical premiere of '50s sci-fi movie spoof, THE BRAIN FROM PLANET X. Pictured here is Cody Fullbrook as 'the brain.'
The awesomely awkward original comedic satire, So Ya Wanna Be A Broadway Star?! Launches Indie GoGo campaign to help raise money in order to film the rest of the series! Check out the pilot below and click here to find out more about the campaign.
Kritzerland at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal presents its fourth anniversary show -- THE SONGS THAT GOT AWAY III -- on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 2 p.m. AND 7 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. before the JUST ADDED matinee for brunch/lunch.
On the first Sunday of each month, Bruce Kimmel hosts the KRITZERLAND show at Sterling's at The Federal in the heart of the NoHo Arts District. The evening starts with a variety of dinner selections, full bar service, and lots of time to mingle and chat with old and new friends. Starting at 7pm, each revue has its own theme, with a variety of performers taking to the stage to entertain the enthusiastic crowd who loves show tunes. The 48th KRITZERLAND show on 8-3-14 presented a salute to some incredible female lyricists of the musical theatre
A hilarious musical send-up of bad '50s sci-fi movies is descending upon Perth this September. Written by David Wechter and Bruce Kimmel, The Brain from Planet X makes it Australian debut at Phoenix Theatre, presented by Dark Psychic Productions. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast!
For our 48th Kritzerland show we're proud to present a salute to some incredible female lyricists of the musical theatre, mostly Carolyn Leigh, the brilliant lyricist of such Broadway shows as Little Me, Wildcat, Peter Pan and others, as well as such classic pop songs as 'Witchcraft' and 'The Best Is Yet to Come,' as well as other great female lyricists like Lynn Ahrens (Once on this Island, Ragtime, Seussical), Carol Hall (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), Marsha Norman (The Secret Garden), Gretchen Cryer (I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road), Fran Landesman (The Nervous Set, 'Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most'), Amanda McBroom ('The Rose', Heartbeats) and Carole Bayer Sager (They're Playing Our Song). Kritzerland's Bruce Kimmel has recorded many of the lyricists above and has chosen the usual Kritzerland colorful and eclectic program, a mix of the well- known and the unknown. As always, we've assembled a stellar cast. So, come join us for some amazing songs by some amazing women.
It was a pleasure to return to Kritzerland Sunday July 6 for its 47th show saluting Off-Broadway shows: Kritzerland Goes Off-Broadway. Featured were stalwart hits: Hair, Ruthless!, Little Mary Sunshine, Dames at Sea, Falsettos, The Fantasticks and more recent hits such as Floyd Collins, Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years and Dogfight. With Bruce Kimmel as host, in dandy form as usual with his amazing trivia notes in between numbers, and sensational musical director John Boswell at the piano, the show got off to a rousing start with young Brennley Brown belting out 'Born to Entertain' from Ruthless! Also on the bill for the evening were the wonderful: Robert Yacko, Madison Claire Parks, Kim Huber, young folks Jenna Lee Rosen, Sami Staitman and special guest stars Jason Graae and Rita McKenzie.