Debbie Gibson News

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, October 30, 2016 - Sunday, October 30, 2016.

In an interview for Oprah's 'Where Are They Now,' Debbie Gibson recently revealed that during her years as a young performer, she didn't hew as close to squeaky clean as the image that she projected: 'I remember being on the road at, like, 25, touring with theater and doing my own cocktail of Tylenol PM and Xanax,' the actress confessed.

Jessie's Girl has mastered stunning renditions of the world's most vibrant songs, all while dressed up as the unforgettable characters of that decade! Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and many more come to life right before the dazzled eyes of the crowd. It is theater, meets live music, smothered in 80's glitz. A performance like no other and a party you have to experience to believe.

Have you ever heard the expression, "nice house, nobody home?" Often, we use that phrase as a way to describe singers who make pretty sounds, but who fail to capture our imagination on the stage. To be a singer in the theater, it's a very rare performer who can reach out to the auditors or the audience and make them feel something; however, it is the most essential quality a performer can embody if they want to work in this business.

Can you guess that TV show? It's funny. Unpredictable. Hosted by Craig Ferguson. It's garnered two consecutive Daytime Emmy(R) wins for Outstanding Game Show Host. That's right, it's CELEBRITY NAME GAME! 

Even when an audition provides specific music to be prepared, you might be asked to 'bring your book.' Every performer requires a collection of songs that are ready to be sung at a moment's notice. In our industry, your 'book' is a physical binder that holds all of these songs, and is also the term for this repertoire of pieces that you have mastered and can perform with little or no preparation.

The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team of the West Coast premiere of OCTOBER SKY, which will blast off the Globe's 2016-2017 Season with a tale of boys, rockets, and big dreams.

The same principles that lead to sound vocal hygiene also promote a clear mind, better energy, and enhanced overall quality of life. Proper care of your voice doesn't require you to live much differently than you would for a normal, healthy lifestyle, with a balanced and holistic approach.

As one of the pianists for the original Broadway production of Annie, many of my voice teacher colleagues were horrified at the thought of little girls being asked to belt out songs such as 'Tomorrow' and 'Hard Knock Life.' And yet, many of these teachers refused to accept those young girls as students! At that time, many voice teachers would not agree to teach students who had unchanged, prepubescent voices. They were under the impression that voice lessons could permanently damage a child's voice, which remained a widely accepted belief for many years. 

As one of the pianists for the original Broadway production of Annie, many of my voice teacher colleagues were horrified at the thought of little girls being asked to belt out songs such as "Tomorrow" and "Hard Knock Life." And yet, many of these teachers refused to accept those young girls as students! At that time, many voice teachers would not agree to teach students who had unchanged, prepubescent voices. They were under the impression that voice lessons could permanently damage a child's voice, which remained a widely accepted belief for many years. 

I can't be the only theatregoer who found the tour of CABARET chilling. During an election year where fear mongering and racial intolerance are sitting center ring, the story of pre-Holocaust Germany seems especially relevant and cautionary. But that doesn't mean the musical, which just arrived at the Winspear Opear House, isn't equally thrilling and heartfelt.

?Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey presents Back to the Eighties Show With Jessie's Girl-Friday, July 8, 2016 at 8PM. Purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or Box Office at 201.227.1030. 

If you have ever attended a classical voice recital, you probably saw an elegantly dressed performer situated near the crook of a grand piano for the duration of the performance.  Traditionally, recitalists remain standing with "noble" posture throughout their program, and only gesture with their hands and body for extreme emphasis. 

If you want to see a group of voice teachers and voice scientists turn from a generally gregarious and collegial group into an angry mob, ask them to strictly define vocal registers, or the "gears" of the voice that are responsible for different types of sounds.  

The Motor City Tap Festival has become one of the county's top Tap Festivals, now entering its ninth year August 10-13, 2016.

Set Fire to the Rain: A Tribute to Adele is the collision of chart-topping popular hits and awe-inspiring performances by the most talented musicians New York City has to offer. The concert, directed by Jerome Korman and produced by Marcus Linial, features Jenna O'Gara on vocals and is backed by a full band. Special guests Harlem Gospel Choir will join them on the April 14th show at The Paramount in Huntington, NY.

When you consider how many hundreds of small muscular contractions are involved, the fact that most people can instinctively use their breathing muscles, vocal folds, and filters for speaking is pretty remarkable. This is in large part thanks to our brain, which takes care of a lot of bodily functions so we don't need to be consciously aware of them. Unfortunately, our voices' ability to run on autopilot may leave us thinking that our voice is operated by some sort of magical element, leaving us unaware of harmful habits. Because most people never get a chance to see how their voice operates in an MRI or through a stroboscopy, it is very easy for us to accept misinformation about how the voice works. This is understandable - if you'd never seen under the hood of a car, you'd probably have difficulty picturing how that works, too!

New shows on sale this week at bergenPAC: Back to the Eighties Show With Jessie's Girl-Friday, July 8, 2016 at 8PM; and An Evening With Neil Sedaka-Wednesday, August 17, 2016 at 8PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 1, 2016 at 11AM at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling bergenPAC's Box Office at 201.227.1030.

There are some conflicting opinions among singing teachers about how much you really need to know about the biological mechanics of making sound.  Although it is true that you don't need to be an expert mechanic to drive a car, you are a more independent and a much safer driver if you know basics of car maintenance, like how to check oil and tire pressure, before you set off on a marathon road trip.  Also, knowing what a car should feel like when you are driving safely in gear will alert you to much bigger problems earlier on, and save a lot on new transmissions!  This is a case where I think a little vetted information goes a long way in preventing injury and expediting progress.

A lot of people seem to believe that the ability to sing well is somehow inborn, and that singers fall into two camps: those with talent, who practically come out of the womb singing beautifully, and those who are tone-deaf (suffering from the medical condition dysmelodia), and shouldn't bother trying to sing. The reality is that those are two dramatic extremes which affect only a small handful of people; the other 99 percent of us fall somewhere in the middle.