Harold Arlen News

Joshua Henry will join Amber Riley ("Glee"), Jared Grimes and Adriane Lenox in New York City Center's acclaimed production of Cotton Club Parade, returning for seven performances from November 14-18, 2012. (Mr. Henry replaces the previously announced Brandon Victor Dixon. Mr. Dixon is no longer available due to scheduling conflicts.) Conceived by Jack Viertel and presented under the auspices of City Center's Tony Award-winning Encores! series, Cotton Club Parade will once again be directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, with music direction by Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis. The show will feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center All Stars under the direction of Daryl Waters.

Courtney Freed and Rebecca Johnson will star in The Coco & Ruby Variety Hour, a dazzling trip down memory lane and a peek into the hilarious and wacky lives of the these two ginger dames. Coco and Ruby mysteriously fell out of their humdrum lives in 1940's Newark, New Jersey and into modern day Hollywood to live the dream! These two characters from the hit web series, "Coco & Ruby," written by Rachel Roderman and directed by Steve Brian, will shuffle-ball-change right out of your computer screen on October 15th to bring you a LIVE show full of old-school comedy and musicianship reminiscent of Lucille Ball and Betty Hutton. The Coco & Ruby Variety Hour will include many of your favorite WWII era standards, as well as vintage takes on contemporary pop songs.

Bay Area Cabaret, the local non-profit organization devoted to presenting audiences with top performers who expand the definition of cabaret, has announced its lineup for the 2012-2013 season. Opening the season Sunday, October 28, 2012 is Motown legend and founding member of "Supremes," Mary Wilson, followed Sunday, November 11, 2012 by 9-time Tony Award winning singer/dancer/director/choreographer Tommy Tune, and December 9, 2012 by television, film, and Broadway star Peter Gallagher. The series continues in 2013 with "Broadway's golden couple," Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley on February 17, 2013, "Britain's first lady of musical theatre" Elaine Paige on March 1, 2013, and a performance by singer/actress Nellie McKay featuring San Francisco's Grammy-winning a capella male chorus Chanticleer on March 23, 2013. Rounding out the season is a tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch, with special guests to be announced, on June 2, 2013, which would have been the legendary composer's 69th birthday, with special guests to be announced.

Daisy Eagan is bringing her new cabaret act to Joe's Pub at 9:30 on Monday night.

Bay Area Cabaret kicks off its 2012-2013 season with Motown legend Mary Wilson, back for her first show in the historic Venetian room since performing there with the "Supremes" more than two decades ago.

Nine upcoming shows at the King Center for Performing Arts in Melbourne are on sale now, details and ticket information are listed below. Single Tickets may be purchased by visiting kingcenter.com or by calling the King Center Ticket Office at 321.242.2219.

Tony Nominee Stephen Bogardus (Falsettos, Love! Valor! Compassion!) Luba Mason (Chicago, How to Succeed), Anastasia Barzee (Jekyll & Hyde, Miss Saigon) and 25 others have joined two-time Tony Nominee Vivian Reed (Bubbling Brown Sugar, Marie Christine) in the workshop cast of One for My Baby, the new book musical with a Harold Arlen score.

Manhood takes on a very different meaning for baby boomers who waited until middle age to marry. Having committed late in life, they got newborn babies and dying parents at the same time. Such is the situation of the protagonist in 'RIPE,' a new solo show by playwright/actor/journalist John Jiler, which begins with him on the phone to a pharmacist, ordering three boxes of diapers at the same time: two for his aging parents, and one for his new-born son. The play's about being caught in the middle. Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., will present the piece October 11 to 28, directed by Sturgis Warner, who staged 'Palestine,' the widely acclaimed solo show by Najla Saïd (daughter of Edward W. Said) at the Fourth Street Theatre of NY Theatre Workshop in 2010.

David Eisner and Avery Saltzman, co-Artistic Directors of the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, Toronto's only professional theatre company established to celebrate, illuminate and share Jewish culture, today announced their 2012/2013 season.

On Sunday August 26, singer/actress Ilene Graff brought her heavenly show First You Dream to Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal to a packed house of ardent fans and celebrated LA friends.

ANNIE, the new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, went into rehearsal today in New York City with its full company. The production begins previews October 3, 2012 and opens November 8, 2012 at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street). Meet the full cast below!

So many cabaret shows, so little time . . . to write reviews that is. During his almost two years as a cabaret reviewer, BroadwayWorld.com critic Stephen Hanks managed to do a pretty good job of writing critiques during a show's run or soon after the run ended. But this summer he just couldn't keep up. Finally, here are observations on 10 performances over the past two months.

One for My Baby, set to a score of some three dozen Harold Arlen classics and billed as "a song-and-dance celebration ofbig-city nightlife at the end of World War II," will have a private, industry-only workshop at the New 42nd Street Studios, 229 West 42 Street, this October 11 and October 12.

The work will be performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus at 8 p.m. tonight, July 31, under the baton of John Axelrod, on a program that also includes Gabriela Monteroperforming Grieg's Piano Concerto and improvisations based on suggestions from the audience.

Amber Riley ("Glee") joins original cast members Brandon Victor Dixon, Jared Grimes and Adriane Lenox in New York City Center's acclaimed production of Duke Ellington's Cotton Club Parade, returning to City Center for seven performances from November 14-18, 2012. Conceived by Jack Viertel and presented under the auspices of City Center's Tony Award-winning Encores! series, Cotton Club Parade will once again be directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, with music direction by Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis. The show will feature the Jazz at Lincoln Center All Stars under the direction of Daryl Waters.

Courtney Freed and Rebecca Johnson star in The Coco & Ruby Variety Hour, a dazzling trip down memory lane and a peek into the hilarious and wacky lives of these two ginger dames. Coco and Ruby mysteriously fell out of their humdrum lives in 1940's Newark, New Jersey and into modern day Hollywood to live the dream! These two characters from the hit web series, "Coco & Ruby," written by Rachel Roderman and directed by Steve Brian, will shuffle-ball-change right out of your computer screen on July 27th & 28th to bring you a LIVE show full of old-school comedy and musicianship reminiscent of Lucille Ball and Betty Hutton. The Coco & Ruby Variety Hour will include many of your favorite WWII era standards, as well as vintage takes on contemporary pop songs.

The work will be performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31, under the baton of John Axelrod, on a program that also includes Gabriela Monteroperforming Grieg's Piano Concerto and improvisations based on suggestions from the audience.

Pace University has announced the 2012 / 2013 season of Pace Presents, hosted at The Michael Schimmel Center for The Arts located at 3 Spruce Street between Park Row and Gold Street in downtown Manhattan. Pace Presents is a world-class performing arts and culture series with an emphasis on music superstars from around the globe, charismatic and crowd-pleasing dance performances, spectacular theatre and contemporary cabaret. The Pace Presents season begins on September 22 with Gypsy brass superstars Fanfare Ciocarlia and culminates on April 20 with Jazz's living treasure, Hugh Masekela.