Don Rebic News

RIOULT Dance NY, a leading American modern dance company with a classic sensibility, presents the World Premiere of STREET SINGER - Celebrating the Life of Edith Piaf from Wednesday, May 13 through Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 8pm at 42West Nightclub, 514 W. 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues) NYC.

Wright State performing arts students received coaching and encouragement from Broadway star Leslie Uggams during her inspiring visit to campus yesterday, January 22, 2015. Tony and Emmy winner Uggams also sang several songs, shared stories from her long career and gave heartfelt advice to an audience of students, faculty and community members in the Herbst Theatre in the Creative Arts Center. Scroll down for photos from her visit!

Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Leslie Uggams will share her insights and talents with students of the Wright State University Musical Theatre Program today and tomorrow, January 22-23 in Dayton, Ohio. Uggams will become the first major visiting artist to conduct master classes and perform as a guest of the school's new Musical Theatre Initiative.

Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Leslie Uggams will share her insights and talents with students of the Wright State University Musical Theatre Program January 22-23 in Dayton, Ohio. Uggams will become the first major visiting artist to conduct master classes and perform as a guest of the school's new Musical Theatre Initiative.

t may not be like getting a gift on each of the 12 Days of Christmas, but for cabaret and musical theater lovers, the 6th Annual Urban Stages Winter Rhythms series--presented over a dozen nights at the not-for-profit Off-Broadway theatre on 259 West 30th Street--could be the closest thing to opening a daily present by the tree. From December 2-14 (no shows on Dec. 9), more than 100 singers, musicians, and songwriters will perform in an eclectic mix of 20 shows including one-night-only group shows, excerpts from new musicals, solo shows, open mics, late night spotlights, and family matinees, with all the proceeds from ticket sales dedicated to the Urban Stages On Tour Outreach Program that brings more than 200 free multicultural theater and music programs to elementary and middle school age children and their families in libraries and schools throughout NYC five boroughs.

According to mythology, the 'Phoenix' was a bird of great beauty, said to have lived 1,000 years in the Arabian wilderness. The Phoenix burns itself to ashes on an ancient funeral pyre, only to rise again from those ashes with the renewed exuberance of youth. Its renewed life cycle symbolizes the immortality of the spirit, the rebirth of idealism, the essence of creativity, and the aura of eternal hope. With her new show at the Laurie Beechman, Visible Phoenix (which opened October 17 and returned last Friday night), multi-award winner Carolyn Montgomery-Forant has returned to the cabaret stage (after a 14-year hiatus to raise her son and run a cafe business) as the very personification of that rare beautiful bird.

If you are even a semi-regular reader of this column of reviews, you know that about every three or four months, I post a compilation of observations of shows from the previous quarter of the year. This cabaret critiquing mash up happens for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I admittedly see too many cabaret shows for the amount of time I have to promptly review them (and then, of course, the usual writer's procrastination sets in). So I have to prioritize the timeliness of the reviews based on the prestige of the performer, the length of a show run, the strength (or lack thereof) of the performance, etc. The quality of the shows in these compilations—which can range from a half dozen to a dozen reviews in one shot—are usually a mixed bag of outright raves, qualified positives, and constructive pans (I'm not a fan of the word “negative” in the reviewer lexicon). With that in mind here are a collection of cabaret show reviews going back to the start of a very harsh winter.

Last night more than a dozen musical theater and cabaret stars celebrated the remarkable musical career of Ervin Drake in a special concert to benefit The Gold Coast Arts Center and Landmark on Main Street, two non-profit cultural gems located on the North Shore of Long Island.

Richard Ridge, lead correspondent for BroadwayWorld, hosted the 45th Anniversary Gala for Amas Musical Theatre, New York City's award-winning pioneer in diversity and multi-ethnic casting in the performing arts since 1968, on Monday, March 31st, 2014 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center (East 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues). Honorary Chair for the event was veteran Broadway virtuoso Maurice Hines. Scroll down for photos!

Richard Ridge, lead correspondent for the popular theatrical web site Broadway World, will host the 45th Anniversary Gala for Amas Musical Theatre, New York City's award-winning pioneer in diversity and multi-ethnic casting in the performing arts since 1968, on Monday, March 31st, 2014 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center (East 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues). Honorary Chair for the event is veteran Broadway virtuoso Maurice Hines.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie. CLICK HERE for a full list of winners.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie. CLICK HERE for a full list of winners.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie. CLICK HERE for a full list of winners.

Richard Ridge, lead correspondent for Broadway World, will host the 45th Anniversary Gala for Amas Musical Theatre, New York City's award-winning pioneer in diversity and multi-ethnic casting in the performing arts since 1968, on Monday, March 31st, 2014 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center (East 25th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues). Honorary Chair for the event is veteran Broadway virtuoso Maurice Hines.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, has announced the nominees for the 2014 MAC Awards. Winners in twenty-five categories will be voted by the MAC membership by anonymous ballot and announced at the MAC Awards Gala on March 27th at BB King's Blue Club in Times Square at: 237 W. 42 St between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets start at $50.00. For additional information on MAC, to become a member, or to order tickets to the event, visit: http://macnyc.com.

A treasure trove of amazing movie themes and songs that didn't reach the winners' circle on Oscar Night! 'Lost Movie Themes' is a celebration of the songwriters for whom it was an honor just to be nominated, interpreted by some of Broadway's most exciting talent. An evening of the unforgettable, the forgotten and the egregiously overlooked, filled with stories about the songs and the making of the movies themselves.

On the heels of their one-year wedding anniversary, distinguished entertainers Christine Reisner-Rebic (an international cabaret chanteuse and dancer) and Don Rebic (Broadway and cabaret musical director and composer) will join forces for the New York City debut of their first full-length cabaret act as a duo. 'Look Who's in Love' features their original songs as well as songs by veteran Broadway composer Albert Hague (Christine's uncle) and timeless jazzy standards by Irving Berlin, Jule Styne, Jimmy Van Heusen, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The show is directed by Michael Bush. The performance is set for Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street (at 9th Avenue), NYC. TICKETS: $20 cover charge ($15 for MAC members) plus a $15 food/beverage minimum. RESERVATIONS: 212-695-6909 or www.LaurieBeechmanTheatre.com.