Cy Coleman News

The Orange County Performing Arts Center's 2010-2011 Cabaret and Jazz Series are star-studded celebrations of award-winning singers, musicians and artists from Broadway to the Metropolitan Opera, from television to motion pictures and from concert stage to the top clubs in the country.

Artistic Director Sean Murray is pleased to announce a concert staged reading of the hilarious and rarely performed musical, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, with book and lyrics by Betty Comdon and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. The delightfully comedic romp will be performed free to attendees of Cygnet Theatre's Mini-Benefit, with proceeds supporting the Storytelling on the Green Program. The Mini-Benefit and Concert Reading will be presented TWO NIGHTS ONLY on Mondays, November 1st and 8th at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. The Mini-Benefit begins at 6:30pm and the Concert Reading begins at 7:30pm.

Joining Orange County Performing Arts Center's cabaret series is Emmy Awrd-winning actress Megan Mullally. The Broadway veteren will begin the new season alongside Supreme Music Program October 7th-10.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre announced that Tony Award-winner DONNA McKECHNIE will return to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with her critically-acclaimed solo show, My Musical Comedy Life, which will play the midtown venue on Wednesday, November 3rd at 8pm. There is a $35 cover charge, as well as a $15 food/beverage minimum (a full dinner menu is available). The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located within The West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd St. (@ 9th Ave)., in the heart of New York's theatre district. For tickets, please contact Smarttix at www.smarttix.com or 212 868 4444.

With their funky and fun production of I LOVE MY WIFE, New Line Theatre begins their 20th season with a trip back to the swinging seventies, when the last dying embers of the sexual revolution were still smoldering in the suburbs. It was a time when collars were broad, chests were hairy, and polyester was the fabric of choice. And though the obvious reference point for some might be Paul Mazursky's 1969 film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, the two are actually quite dissimilar, except for the fact that two couples wind up sharing the same bed. But, I LOVE MY WIFE is more concerned with friendships and making connections. New Line's presentation of this perfectly charming adult comedy is superbly cast and directed, and well worth your time and attention.

Judy Kaye Completes the Cast of Broadway Melody Makers on October 15th forTHE TOWN HALL'SAnnual Broadway Cabaret FestivalOctober 15th, 16th and 17th Tony Award ® winner Judy Kaye (Phantom, Souvenir, Mama Mia) completes the cast of THE TOWN HALL's Broadway Melody Makers on Friday, October 15th.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) has announced complete casting for I Remember Mama (including two members of the original Broadway cast) playing October 8-10, 2010 in its ongoing Fall 2010 Musicals in Mufti concert series.

Reprise Theatre Company presents two one-night only special events: An Evening with Sutton Foster for one performance only on Monday, October 4, 2010 at 8:00 pm, and Betty Buckley in Concert with Seth Rudetsky on Monday, February 21,2011 at 8:00pm. Both events will be presented at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. An Evening with Sutton Foster Betty Buckley in Concert with Seth Rudetsky are the latest in Reprise Theatre Company's tradition of presenting Broadway stars in concert, which have included Patti LuPone, Carol Burnett, Ben Vereen, Kristin Chenoweth, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.

FLOWER POWER PRODUCTIONS is pleased to announce the return of OPA! The Musical to Queens after a critically acclaimed, sold-out run at Queens Theatre in the Park in 2009.

The artists of New Line Theatre, 'The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' are very proud to announce the opening of the company's Twentieth Anniversary Season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre, with the hilarious Sexual Revolution jazz musical, I LOVE MY WIFE, running Sept. 30-October 23, 2010, at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend.

Robert Cuccioli, who starred as Guido Contini in our recent production of NINE and in our record-breaking runs of Arthur Kopit/ Maury Yeston's Phantom, as well as Detective Stone in Cy Coleman's City Of Angels, will be returning to Westchester Broadway Theatre as the Director of our long awaited encore production of Jekyll and Hyde.

The artists of New Line Theatre, 'The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' are very proud to announce the opening of the company's Twentieth Anniversary Season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre, with the hilarious Sexual Revolution jazz musical, I LOVE MY WIFE, running Sept. 30-October 23, 2010, at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend.

The artists of New Line Theatre, 'The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' are very proud to announce the opening of the company's Twentieth Anniversary Season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre, with the hilarious Sexual Revolution jazz musical, I LOVE MY WIFE, running Sept. 30-October 23, 2010, at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend.

Bay Area Cabaret, the local organization devoted to presenting audiences with top performers who expand the definition of cabaret, announced it has been invited to reopen the Fairmont Hotel's historic Venetian Room as a showroom, and given exclusive music booking rights to present its musical series in the city's legendary showroom. Said Marilyn Levinson, Founding Executive Producer of Bay Area Cabaret, now in its seventh season, 'The Venetian Room reigned supreme as America's premier supper club from 1947 to 1989. It was here that Tony Bennett introduced his signature song 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' and show business legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Marlene Dietrich, Tina Turner, Joel Grey, Bobby Short, James Brown, Vic Damone, Nat 'King' Cole, and many, many other performers held forth for more than four decades. We are thrilled and honored to be reopening this historic room as a music venue, where we will be presenting this generation's top Broadway, pop and jazz performers.'

Celebrating sixty years in show business, the iconic Liza Minnelli is about to release the most intimate and revealing recording of her career, Confesssions, available everywhere on September 28th (Decca).

On October 18th, Emmy nominee Connie Britton whose accolades include stand-out roles on shows such as Friday Night Lights, 24, The West Wing among others and Carla Gugino who is seen on Entourage, Watchmen, Night at the Museum and more will be hosting the internationally-acclaimed African Children's Choir as they perform at their annual fundraising gala. Joining them performing are some of Broadway's best from shows including Wicked, Lion King, Promises, Promises, In the Heights and Memphis with more to be announced. The Music Director for the event is Mary Mitchell Campbell. As Cy Coleman's protégé and currently the Music Director for Addams Family on Broadway right now, she will be adding her talent to this night. The night will not only showcase performances, but also an auction to help raise funds for The African Children's Choir.

Reprise Theatre Company presents A Party With Marty, an evening of comedy and song with Martin Short and featuring Jason Alexander for one performance only on Monday, November 1, 2010 at 8:00 pm, at the Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills (formerly the Wilshire Theatre). This world premiere event features old friends, and former cast mates from "The Producers," Martin Short and Reprise Theatre Company Artistic Director Jason Alexander doing what they do best - making people laugh! Ticket sales for this event support Reprise Theatre Company and their mission to produce great musical theatre as well as arts education programs that bring the magic of theatre to underserved members of our community. Reprise Theatre Company is headed by Artistic Director Jason Alexander, who is best known for his 9-year stint as George Costanza on "Seinfeld." Christine Bernardi is Managing Director and Gilles Chiasson is Producing Director of Reprise Theatre Company. Tickets are available for "A Party With Marty" and go on sale to the public on October 4 and are available online at www.reprise.org , ticketmaster.com, by calling the Saban Theatre box office at (323) 655-0111, and at all Ticketmaster Outlets. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Martin Short began his career in Canada's "SCTV Comedy Network" for which he received an Emmy Award. Short's proven ability as a comedic chameleon and his host of hilarious impressions brought him to the attention of "Saturday Night Live." From there, he made his big screen debut in "Three Amigos," Other films include "Inner Space", "Three Fugitives", "Clifford", "Mars Attacks", "The Big Picture", Father of the Bride 1 & 2 and "Jiminy Glick in LALAWOOD, among others Short has received 15 Emmy nominations for his work in television which includes "Merlin", "Alice in Wonderland," "The Martin Short Show", "Primetime Glick" and this season's "Damages", for which he was most recently nominated. A veteran of the theater in Canada and on Broadway, Short has received accolades for his varied work on stage including "The Goodbye Girl" (Tony nomination, Theatre World Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), "Little Me" (Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle Award), and "The Producers" (with Jason Alexander) and in 2006, his musical-comedy Broadway hit "Fame Becomes Me." In 1994, Short was awarded the "Order of Canada" and in 2000 was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame. However, all of the above is a distant second to his love and respect for his wife Nancy and their three children Katherine, Oliver and Henry. About Reprise Theatre Company Since its inception in 1997, Reprise Theatre Company has been a focus of the Los Angeles musical theatre community, producing productions of great American musicals, and a wide variety of concerts, staged-readings, special events and outreach programs. In May 2007, Jason Alexander became Artistic Director. Christine Bernardi is Managing Director and Gilles Chiasson is Producing Director of Reprise. Since its inaugural production of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Promises, Promises," which starred Mr. Alexander, Reprise has brought to the stage vibrant productions from all eras of American musical theatre including the Gershwins' "Of Thee I Sing" and "Strike Up the Band," Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," and Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse" and "Babes in Arms," Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel," as well as Richard Rodgers' later "No Strings." The "Golden Era" has been well represented - Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg with "Finian's Rainbow," Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe with "Brigadoon," Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green with "On the Town" and "Wonderful Town," Irving Berlin with "Call Me Madam," Robert Wright and George Forrest with "Kismet," both of the Richard Adler and Jerry Ross musicals "The Pajama Game" and "Damn Yankees," Johnny Mercer and Gene dePaul with "Li'l Abner," Jule Styne with "Bells are Ringing," and Frank Loesser with "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Musical theatre reached a new peak of popularity in the sixties, along with new creative talents, and Reprise has presented shows by many of them including Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt with "The Fantasticks," Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with "She Loves Me," Gerome Ragni, James Rado and Galt MacDermot's "Hair," Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone with "1776," Charles Adams and Lee Strouse with "Applause," Stephen Schwartz with "Pippin," Cy Coleman with "On the Twentieth Century" (libretto by Betty Comden and Adolph Green), "City of Angels" (lyrics by David Zippel), and "I Love My Wife" (libretto by Michael Stewart), Jerry Herman with "Mack and Mabel," Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's "Once on This Island," and four Stephen Sondheim musicals - "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Company," "Sweeney Todd," and "Sunday in the Park with George." Many of the great stage performers working today, as well as those who make their residence primarily in Los Angeles, have appeared in Reprise shows including Scott Bakula, Christine Baranski, Brent Barrett, Orson Bean, Jodi Benson, Stephen Bogardus, Dan Butler, Len Cariou, Carolee Carmello, Vicki Carr, Patrick Cassidy, Anthony Crivello, Jason Danieley, Lea DeLaria, Cleavant Derricks, Manoel Feliciano, Rodney Gilfry, Kelsey Grammer, Josh Grisetti, Harry Groener, Bob Gunton, Sam Harris, Gregory Harrison, Simon Helberg, Mimi Hines, Judy Kaye, Jane Krakowski, Marc Kudish, Ledisi, Vicki Lewis, Judith Light, Rebecca Luker, Eric McCormack, Maureen McGovern, Joey McIntyre, Donna McKechnie, Andrea Marcovicci, Marin Mazzie, Julie Migenes, Karen Morrow, Burke Moses, Kelli O'Hara, John O'Hurley, Ken Page, Robert Picardo, David Hyde Pierce, Larry Raben, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Roger Rees, Charles Nelson Reilly, Cathy Rigby, Alexandra Silber, Douglas Sills, Rex Smith, Brent Spiner, Lea Thompson, Steven Weber, Lee Wilkof, Ruth Williamson, Marisa Jaret Winokur, Lillias White, Fred Willard, and Rachel York.

The Menier Chocolate Factory's production of the Tony award-winning musical, Sweet Charity, which transferred to the West End in April 2010, will complete its run on 6th November 2010.

Broadway powerhouse Idina Menzel - the Tony Award-winning Elphaba from international blockbuster Wicked - performs together with a full symphony orchestra for one night only November 7 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center November in Segerstrom Hall. With a diverse repertoire of classic pop, musical theater favorites (including hits from Wicked and Rent) as well as songs from her album I Stand, Menzel demonstrates why she is one of the great vocal performers of our time.

It is with great pleasure that The West Bank Café announces upcoming performances to be presented in The Laurie Beechman Theatre. The West Bank Café is located at 407 West 42nd. St., at Ninth Avenue. For reservations, please call 212.695.6909.