Carol Hall News

When Tuesday night the formidable Chita Rivera opens her debut Cafe Carlyle show, An Evening of My Favorite Songs, with "I Won't Dance" (Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields/Jimmy McHugh), it's like watching a thoroughbred nose the racing gate. There's too little space on the small stage to do much more than shimmy, twirl, and display Bob Fosse-like arm moves; the performer exudes an urge to cut loose. At the ripe age of we-all-aspire-to-that-kind-of-unquenchable-joie-de-vivre, she shoots off sparks.

The Dramatists Guild Fund celebrates the 1 Year Anniversary of The Music Hall, decorated by Robert Hartwell of BroadwayWorld's Broadway Quick Change. The Music Hall is a free space in the city for writers to create and present new work. Officially opened in April 2015 during the tenure of DGF President Gretchen Cryer, The Music Hall has been a resource to 1,500 dramatists for writing groups, readings, workshops, panels, and private writing time.

Arizona Broadway Theatre blows the roof off the THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS with a non-stop hit parade of Lone Star big star moments. Leading the pack is Cassandra Norville Klaphake as Miss Mona, the madam of the legendary brothel that inspired Carol Hall, Larry King, and Peter Masterson to pen the tale of tricks and treats. Klaphake delivers a commanding performance as the mother hen who guards her coop with a righteous blend of good business sense and sentimentality.

The Dramatists Guild Fund presented their Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award to actress Audra McDonald and playwright Craig Lucas just last night. McDonalad was unable to attend the event due to her SHUFFLE ALONG schedule, but the show went on and BroadwayWorld was also there for the festivities. Check out photos below!

Fountain Hills Theater is proud to announce the 2016-17 Season for its Mainstage, Mainstage Too! and Youth stages as well as our Sizzlin' Summer Show.

King's story of struggle and triumph is chronicled in American Masters: B.B. King: The Life of Riley, premiering nationwide during Black History Month today, February 12 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS

King's story of struggle and triumph is chronicled in American Masters: B.B. King: The Life of Riley, premiering nationwide during Black History Month on Friday, February 12 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS

In celebration of Black History Month, actor/vocalist Richard Johnson will perform the premiere of his one man play, 'Pappy on Da Underground Railroad,' directed by Keith Allen, accompanied by musical director Terry Wallstein. Johnson is best known for his cabaret shows on the music of Nat King Cole and as a stylist of antique gospel music and Negro Spirituals. In the play-which ascends into soaring spiritual music-a 'conductor' the Underground Railroad educates and prepares a group of runaway slaves for their journey northward with him. He is met with the daunting challenge of selling freedom to men and women who don't believe freedom exists for them. Performances will be February 11 to 27 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street, Manhattan.

Prospect Theater Company, under the leadership of Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director and Melissa Huber, Managing Director, will present a concert staging of Evergreen, a family friendly musical for the holidays at The TimesCenter (242 W 41st Street), with performances tonight, December 18 at 7pm and tomorrow, December 19 at 2pm and 6pm.

Well-Strung, the celebrated boy band string quartet, are gleefully following in the footsteps of their predecessors. With A Well-Strung Christmas, the charming foursome gives plenty of reasons for us all to put aside our copies of New Kids on the Block's Merry, Merry Christmas and 'N SYNC's Home For Christmas. They also leave us asking Santa to turn this show into an album in time for Christmas 2016 too.

Deck the halls, trim the tree, and spin the dreidel. BroadwayWorld is continuing our tradition of celebrating the holiday season with a special countdown. This year we've invited Director of Programming at Feinstein's/54 Below and author of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series Jennifer Ashley Tepper to share her favorites holiday performances. Check back daily to get in the holiday spirit in time for December 25 and to find out what else made her list!

Prospect Theater Company, under the leadership of Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director and Melissa Huber, Managing Director, will present a concert staging of Evergreen, a family friendly musical for the holidays at The TimesCenter (242 W 41st Street), with performances Friday, December 18 at 7pm and Saturday, December 19 at 2pm and 6pm.

One of my very favorite Christmas stories of all time is A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote about his boyhood growing up with his eccentric cousin Sook Faulk. Geraldine Page played Sook in a 1966 telefilm, and it was later remade for television in the 80s with Patty Duke. It is the Page version that stays with me, having left a lasting impression of the woman, the era and its fierce impact on humanity. Playwright Duane Poole has fashioned a retelling of the story with music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by Carol Hall in a new musical version of A Christmas Memory, now onstage at the Sierra Madre Playhouse through December 27. On this intimate stage with the orchestra in full view behind the actors, the flavor of the original story is well preserved by Alison Eliel Kalmus' fine direction and with a terrific ensemble.

Back in January, BroadwayWorld's lead cabaret reviewer Stephen Hanks announced he was giving up critiquing shows to start his own company, Cabaret Life Productions, through which he would publicize, promote, and help book cabaret performers, and also produce cabaret shows. Hanks' first major production out of the box is a monthly series at the Metropolitan Room called New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits, that features talented artists recreating award-winning or highly-praised shows we wish we'd seen--a really good idea. Hanks' series launched Wednesday night with Mark Nadler's award-winning 2003 show Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians). The Metropolitan Room was filled to the gills and abuzz with anticipation, as most of the audience was only familiar with the show's second-hand praise and/or the CD version of Nadler's performance.

The Dramatists Guild of America held their Biennial National Conference, Writing the Changing World, this past weekend from July 16-19, 2015 in La Jolla, CA.

Having appeared on many of New York City's cabaret stages, Gregory Nalbone returns to the Metropolitan Room with The Sounds of My Heart. Directed by Lennie Watts and music direction by Kenneth Gartman, this show showcases Nalbone's baritone register and Pop-Broadway instrument and allows him to bare his soul as he sings some of his and our favorite tunes.

The Dramatists Guild of America is pleased to announce their Third National Conference, Writing the Changing World, which will be held from July 16-19, 2015 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA. The conference will include keynote speeches, legal and business seminars, workshops, panels, and conversations with theatre elite. Participating Council and visiting artists include Lisa Kron, Stephen Schwartz, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Carol Hall, Winnie Holzman, Georgia Stitt, Bobby Lopez, Marsha Norman, John Weidman, Julia Jordan, Amanda Green, and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason.

Today in 1978, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre), where it ran for 1584 performances. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas. The original Broadway production was directed by Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh.

Today in 1982, a return engagement of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it ran for 63 performances. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas. The original Broadway production was directed by Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh. It opened on June 19, 1978 at the 46th Street Theatre and ran for 1,584 performances.

There was More Music by Alex Rybeck at 54 Below last night and Broadwayworld was there.