Hugh Martin News

The music, humor, warmth and life of Marvin Hamlisch will once again grace the Heinz Hall stage when "Play It Again, Marvin! A Marvin Hamlisch Celebration" makes its world premiere with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on June 28 at 8 p.m.

Goodspeed Musicals is delighted to announce that Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Sheldon Harnick will be the latest recipient of The Goodspeed Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre. Over the years Mr. Harnick's work has been represented on the Goodspeed stage with Fiorello! (1985), She Loves Me (1978), The Apple Tree (1999), and this summer's 50th Anniversary production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Goodspeed Opera House. The award will be presented by longtime friend and star of stage and screen, two time Tony Award-winner Tony Roberts (Broadway's Promises, Promises; They're Playing Our Song; Victor/Victoria; Cabaret).

The York Theatre Company celebrates the great American lyricist Marshall Barer (Once Upon a Mattress) with a special concert event, The Marshall Barer Project, a musical tour through the life, career and mind of a man whose songs are shimmering jewels from the American Songbook. Starring BJ Ward with special guest Michael Feinstein. Directed by Gordon Hunt, The Marshall Barer Project will play two performances only on Tuesday June 10, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

Goodspeed Musicals is delighted to announce that Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Sheldon Harnick will be the latest recipient of The Goodspeed Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre. Over the years Mr. Harnick's work has been represented on the Goodspeed stage with Fiorello! (1985), She Loves Me (1978), The Apple Tree (1999), and this summer's 50th Anniversary production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Goodspeed Opera House. The award will be presented by longtime friend and star of stage and screen, two time Tony Award-winner Tony Roberts (Broadway's Promises, Promises; They're Playing Our Song; Victor/Victoria; Cabaret).

As the result of her recent successful appearances at the Metropolitan Room, singer Peggy King will be joined by the entire All-Star Jazz Trio for her next show on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 PM. The award-winning group consists of Andy Kahn on piano, Bruce Klauber on drums and Bruce Kaminsky on drums and they have been performing with King for the past year, but this will mark their debut at the Metropolitan Room.

Sugar Babies wasn't supposed to be a hit. The 1979 Broadway insiders 'knew' no one wanted to see two has-been movie stars doing hokey jokes from a long-dead low-brow genre. Yet, it was, a big, fat, lines-around-the-box-office smash. And why? Two words: Mickey Rooney.

Legendary lyricist and beloved SHELDON HARNICK who magically crafted the lyrics toFiddler on the Roof, Fiorello!, Tenderloin, She Loves Me, among many other timeless classics, announces the release of a special 2 Disc CD set titled, Sheldon Harnick: Hidden Treasures, 1949-2013, on May 1st in conjunction with his 90th Birthday.

Stoneham Theatre has a lot to celebrate as they announce their 15th season. Selecting the slate of shows, however, proved to be challenging. 'Choosing an anniversary season is tough,' Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes shared. 'There is a lot of pressure to get it right. But, in the end, I found I just wanted to choose another season of plays and musicals that represents the kind of work that we love to do: a mix of the familiar and the new, the entertaining and the thought-provoking, and one completely unexpected surprise.'

Cabaret Icon Michael Feinstein returns to the McCallum Theatre with his highly anticipated "The Gerswhins And Me" for two performances - Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at 8:00 pm. Michael Feinstein, the multi-Platinum, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy nominated entertainer dubbed "The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," is one of the premier interpreters of American standards. His 200-plus shows a year have included performances at Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood Bowl, the White House and Buckingham Palace. I had the chance to catch up with Michael as he was preparing for his Palm Desert engagement, Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

As the result of her recent successful debut at the Metropolitan Room, singer Peggy King has added a revised new schedule. She will do a special St. Patrick's Weekend show this Sunday, March 16 at 12 Noon and then return on Wed., April 9 at 7 PM and Tuesday, April 29 at 7 PM, accompanied by Andy Kahn on piano. One of the best-loved stars of TV's Golden Age, as well as stage, screen and nightclubs, Peggy continues her resurgence after nearly a 30-year absence. She was re-discovered last year in the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning HBO film 'Behind the Candelabra,' in which Michael Douglas and Matt Damon watch a lengthy 1955 video clip of the young Peggy King singing 'When Liberace Winks at Me,' with the real Liberace on piano. It also became a popular YouTube video and is included on the Elektra soundtrack album. 'Pretty, perky Peggy King' has worked in films and television with nearly every star imaginable, from Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme (with whom she co-starred on a 50's TV series) to Sammy Davis, Jr. and Andre Previn, and her dozens of recordings through the years show just why she remains a favorite of America's finest composers and lyricists.

January and February have seen sell-out performances at the Crazy Coqs and March and April look set to continue the trend.

Vocalist Peggy King, one of the best-loved stars of TV's Golden Age, as well as stage, screen and nightclubs, continues her resurgence after nearly a 30-year absence, with a series of performances at the Metropolitan Room, starting Sunday, Feb. 23 at 4 PM, just a few days after celebrating her 84th birthday. She will be accompanied by musical director Andy Kahn on piano. She was re-discovered last year in the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning HBO film 'Behind the Candelabra,' in which Michael Douglas and Matt Damon watch a lengthy 1955 video clip of Peggy King singing 'When Liberace Winks at Me,' accompanied by the real Liberace on piano. It also became a popular YouTube video and is included on the Elektra soundtrack album. 'Pretty, perky Peggy King' has worked in films and television with nearly every star imaginable, from Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme (with whom she co-starred on a 50's TV series) to Sammy Davis, Jr. and Andre Previn, and her dozens of recordings through the years show just why she remains a favorite of America's finest composers and lyricists.

January and February have seen sell-out performances at the Crazy Coqs and March and April look set to continue the trend.

Jay is an enormous fan of Broadway and all its denizens and has done many Broadway Cast Albums, but he has also worked with every great star of our time in every category of music.

Theatrica Ltd and the Landor Theatre are delighted to announce the UK Premiere of Broadway musical Meet Me In St. Louis which will play at the Landor Theatre from tonight 11 December (press night Monday 16 December at 7.30pm).

Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) presents the 2013 holiday show Meet Me in St. Louis: A Live Radio Play, set in a similar fashion as last year's Bucks County holiday show It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, both adapted by Joe Landry. Check out a first look at the show below!

On Tuesday December 3 sublime singer Spider Saloff appeared at Rockwell Table and Stage for an evening of Cool Yule accompanied by electric jazz pianist Richard Eames. I say sublime, as there are a rare few like Saloff who can really sing, wrapping their heart around the lyrics of a song and then delivering it as if they had never told the story before. It takes an actress to sing well, and Saloff has everything it takes. Like Garland, she's one of the best.

Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) presents the 2013 holiday show Meet Me in St. Louis: A Live Radio Play, set in a similar fashion as last year's Bucks County holiday show It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, both adapted by Joe Landry. Scroll down for shots of the cast riding into New Hope, PA in a victorian trolly!

BroadHollow Theatre Company's latest musical, Meet Me in St. Louis, indeed has a talented cast. However, it seems that when I saw it at Studio Theatre, any magic that was there had vanished.