Ian Wilson News

The Ridgefield Playhouse and Pepsi Rock Series Powered by xfinity are going to rock your world with musical legend Paul Shaffer and the Most Dangerous Band on Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m.  Paul Shaffer may be best known as David Letterman's musical director and sidekick for the past 33 years, but his illustrious career goes far beyond the Ed Sullivan Theater.  Paul began his career working with Stephen Schwartz in 1972 as musical director for the Toronto production of "Godspell." From there he went on to spend 5 years with the original cast of "SaturdayNight Live" where he was the band leader and performer - most notably for his parody of Don Kirschner.  Shaffer occasionally teamed up with the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players" off the show as well, including work on Gilda Radner's highly successful Broadway show and as the musical director for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd whenever they recorded or performed as The Blues Brothers. In 1984, Shaffer played keyboards for The Honeydrippers, a group formed in 1981 by former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, and performed on the hit single "Sea of Love" which reached #1. 

This March, Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. Scroll down for details!

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and Conductor John Morris Russell have announced the details of the Pops' 2017-18 season, the first back in the Orchestra's home at Music Hall following an extensive renovation and transition season at the Taft Theatre.

Los Angeles-based public radio station KCRW has announced the line-up for this year's KCRW Showcases at SXSW, kicking off the convention with two official showcases on Wednesday, March 15.  

Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey presents The Beach Boys-Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 7:30PM. Purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling bergenPAC's Box Office at (201) 227-1030.

Raue Center For The Arts is excited to welcome the award-winning duo Switchback at 7 p.m. on March 5, 2017. Switchback draws on traditional Celtic music and original Americana songs that reflect their Irish heritage and midwestern origins to create a unique sound with American roots and Celtic soul.

REATEST HITS, the premiere art retrospective, is a photography exhibition and auction with live music celebrating the work of legendary Los Angeles photographer CHRIS CUFFARO. 

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its nightly performances from January 18-29, 2017. Scroll down for more information, and visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

REATEST HITS, the premiere art retrospective, is a photography exhibition and auction with live music celebrating the work of legendary Los Angeles photographer CHRIS CUFFARO. 

For the last few years the uber talented Lythgoe family have been entertaining us at Christmastime, at the Pasadena Playhouse with a British style panto. A panto is an interactive entertainment that starts with a very contemporary retelling of a fairy tale such as Snow White, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, or in this case Cinderella  and turns it into a fun imaginative show with music that will appeal to both children and their parents. There's usually an actor or two in drag, and a villain ... and audience are encouraged to root for the heroes and HISS loudly at the villains. It's all in amusement, of course, and this year's A Cinderella Christmas is all good fun with a superb cast, some fine pop singing and fast-paced dancing... and, first and foremost, a funfilled script by Kris Lythgoe. To pull the younger audience into the proceedings, crowns and magic wands are on sale. The kids wave their wands on high to encourage the union of Prince Charming (Kenton Duty) and Cinders, short for Cinderella (Lauren Taylor). The delightful family show plays at the Pasadena Playhouse throughout the holiday season until January 8.

Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Lythgoe Family Panto are thrilled to announce a very special holiday event, Cozi Zuehlsdorff ("Dolphin Tale" Films), Joely Fisher (Broadway: Cabaret, "Desperate Housewives"), Barry Pearl ("Grease"), The Book of Mormon's Benjamin Schrader, Jeff Sumner (Genie in Disney's Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular), "American Idol" finalist Vonzell Solomon and Conor Guzman (Pasadena Playhouse; The Fantasticks) starring in SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT, book by Kris Lythgoe, choreography by Spencer Liff, musical supervisor Michael Orland, musical direction by Michael Sobie and directed by Linda Goodrich. "Last year's holiday confection returns with an all-new Lythgoe Family Panto event on our stage!" comments Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham. Remarks Becky Lythgoe, "We are delighted to be back at the Playhouse with our second show and with this extraordinary cast for a truly magical holiday show!" SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT will begin performances on Wednesday, December 7; will open on Friday, December 9 at 7:30pm and will run through Friday, December 30, 2016 at the Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach. 

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Lythgoe Family Panto present a special holiday event, Cozi Zuehlsdorff ('Dolphin Tale' Films), Joely Fisher (Broadway: Cabaret, 'Desperate Housewives'), Barry Pearl ('Grease'), The Book of Mormon's Benjamin Schrader, Jeff Sumner (Genie in Disney's Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular), 'American Idol' finalist Vonzell Solomon and Conor Guzman (Pasadena Playhouse; The Fantasticks) starring in SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT, book by Kris Lythgoe, choreography by Spencer Liff, musical supervisor Michael Orland, musical direction by Michael Sobie and directed by Linda Goodrich.

As The Beach Boys mark more than a half century of making music, the group continues to ride the crest of a wave unequaled in America's musical history. The Beach Boys have become synonymous with the California lifestyle and have become an American icon to fans around the world. The Beach Boys will pull into town to perform on Saturday, April 29 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. 

New shows on sale at bergenPAC: Frontiers: The Ultimate Tribute to Journey-Friday, February 25, 2017 at 8PM. The Beach Boys-Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 7:30PM. Happy Together Tour 2017-Tuesday, June 20, 2017-8PM. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 2, 2016 at 11AM at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling bergenPAC's Box Office at 201.227.1030. 

With one of the most in demand concert outings of the year, music legend Brian Wilson is extending the final performance run of his Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World Tour and announcing a slate of new North American show dates for 2017 to celebrate and perform the iconic album Pet Sounds for a final time.

You can capsulize most pop music acts by reciting how many hits they've had and how many millions of albums they've sold.  But these conventional measurements fall short when you're assessing the impact of The Beach Boys.  To be sure, this band has birthed a torrent of hit singles and sold albums by the tens of millions.  But its greater significance is the fact that it changed the musical landscape so profoundly that every pop act since has been in its debt. Happily for us all, The Beach Boys continue to create and perform with the same bold imagination and style that marked their explosive debut over 50 years ago.The McCallum Theatre presents The Beach Boys on Sunday, November 20, at 3:00pm. 

PROFESSOR OF ROCK - featuring the definitive visual history of pop music and compelling stories behind hundreds of the most important songs and albums from the 1950s to the present day, straight from the artist's mouth.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts have announced THE SIXTIES SHOW today, October 29 at 8 pm.

Angel City Chorale (ACC), the celebrated Los Angeles choir led by Founder/Artistic Director Sue Fink, will jump-start the season in style with Bring on the Joy, the choir's 23rd annual set of holiday concerts and sing-alongs during the first weekend in December. The festive evenings will bring together talented Los Angeles area singers and instrumentalists with a tapestry of seasonal favorites featuring musical textures from diverse traditions.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Lythgoe Family Panto have announced a very special holiday event, Cozi Zuehlsdorff ('Dolphin Tale' Films), Joely Fisher (Broadway: Cabaret, 'Desperate Housewives'), Barry Pearl ('Grease'), The Book of Mormon's Benjamin Schrader, Jeff Sumner (Genie in Disney's Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular), 'American Idol' finalist Vonzell Solomon and Conor Guzman (Pasadena Playhouse; The Fantasticks) starring in SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT, book by Kris Lythgoe, choreography by Spencer Liff, musical supervisor Michael Orland, musical direction by Michael Sobie and directed by Linda Goodrich.