Watching a singer like Celia Berk, who brings a heartwarming balance, a subtle good humor, originality, and a lot of affection to everything she sings, makes one realize the crucial role good instincts play in the self-conscious, self-absorbed world of cabaret. Right at the top of her recent debut run of shows titled You Can't Rush Spring (the title of her recently released excellent debut CD) at the Metropolitan Room, this New Yorker from the business world ingratiated herself with the audience by admitting she was fulfilling a lifelong dream. Berk had already built a following with a few excellent guest performances (most notably at this past October's Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center) and in this auspicious debut she proved she easily puts her personal stamp on an eclectic mix of songs. Such ability springs directly from who she is and not from someone's idea of who she should be.
Three-time MAC-Award nominated songwriter Patrick Dwyer returns to the Duplex with his critically-acclaimed one-man show THIRTYWHATEVER on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 7pm.
Hillbarn Theatre's White Christmas opens tonight, and we'll be there to cover, but before the curtain rises, we spoke with star and Bay Area native Jim Ambler, who plays Phil Davis in the show.
The 13th Street Rep's 'George M. Cohan Song-and-Dance Award'-honoring a triple-threat singer/dancer/actor--has this year been presented to two people: Rayna Hirt and Michael Czyz. Cohan himself-the quintessential song-and-dance man-may have long since gone to his reward. But his great-granddaughter, singer/actress Jennifer Cohan Ross, was on hand to present the awards. The 13th Street Rep's 97-year-old founder/artistic director, Edith O'Hara-a longtime believer in the importance of encouraging fresh talent--was there, too, to congratulate the winners. Playwright Chip Deffaa, whose work has often been presented by the theater, emceed the event.
The holiday season is upon us. Many local theatres are geared to make your days merry and bright. Curtains have or will shortly go up on the likes of 'A Christmas Carol,' 'A Christmas Story,' and 'Santaland Diaries.' Even The Key Bank Broadway series is ringing in the season with a holiday musical, 'Irving Berlin's White Christmas.'
Let's Face the Music and Dance with Top Hat at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 13 December. Stepping into the tap dancing shoes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the lead roles of Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont, are Alan Burkitt and Charlotte Gooch, who both return to Top Hat having previously performed these roles in the West End.
This year, ASCAP brings its 100th birthday celebration into the holiday season by unwrapping the top 30 ASCAP holiday songs of all time. Topping the list is 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,' written by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie.
Playhouse in the Park brings the 'Girl Singer' home this holiday season with Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical. The show takes the audience on a journey from 'Rosie's' childhood to fame, to mental breakdown, to her comeback career; all through therapy sessions during which we are regaled with some of her most well known songs.
Hillbarn Theatre, the Peninsula's premier community theatre company, celebrates this holiday season with Irving Berlin's Tony Award nominated musical, White Christmas.
Steele Spring Stage Rights announced today that two new musicals are the recipients of the 2014 Stage Rights/NYMF Publishing Award: "The Snow Queen" and "Searching For Romeo."
Obvious statement: relationships are hard. Like, real hard. But throw in some out-of-sync schedules, mix in a little 'gotta kiss some random person who is not my significant other cause it's my job', and finish it off with anywhere from hundreds to thousands of miles between the two of you, and it becomes near impossible. Hence, the long distance relationship is born. AKA the LDR, as us peeps in the business say. Or maybe only I do. Or maybe I just made that up because I type with three fingers and I'm already getting tired.
A Broadway Christmas Carol, created by Kathy Feininger, returns to MetroStage for the holidays through Dec. 28 for a fifth season . It has been the holiday show for the past four seasons and has become a holiday tradition here at MetroStage. Prior to 2009, it had played to sold out houses at Round House Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland, for seven consecutive years ending in 2004.
Broadway's Gavin Lee, who recently returned from London where he was playing the Fred Astaire role in the musical Top Hat, will assume the role of Ted Hanover for the four additional weeks of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn now running through December 28th at Goodspeed Opera House. On Broadway and national tour Lee played Bert the chimney sweep in Disney's Mary Poppins for which he was nominated for a Tony award.
For that special mix of naughty and nice, About Face Theatre, in association with Theater Wit, presents BIG RED and THE BOYS, a non-traditional evening of songs, stories and spirits starring Meghan 'Big Red' Murphy, John Francisco*, Patrick Andrews* and Nick Davio. This sexy and spicy holiday concert plays five performances only December 12 - 13, 15, 19 - 20, 2014 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.aboutfacetheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office.
It's Yuletide at Arizona Broadway Theatre, and the musical du jour is the ever-appealing White Christmas, served with all the sugar and spice that has made Irving Berlin's classic a seasonal favorite. In his directorial/choreographic debut at ABT, Stephen Casey has imbued this production with distinctive style and energy. His ensemble has laced the show's punch with elixirs of song and dance that leave you wanting an encore. A special moment in this production is Rori Nogee's oomphatic delivery of Let Me Sing and I'm Happy.
