Jacques Brel News

And now for something completely different!

New Line Theatre's artistic director Scott Miller has published another collection of essays, LITERALLY ANYTHING GOES: 14 ODDBALL MUSICALS AND WHAT MAKES THEM TICK. Miller's fifth book of deep-dive musical theatre exploration is a surprising and entertaining journey into more than a dozen quirky but fascinating musicals, some famous, some less so.

Leonard Bernstein. I know him mostly as the composer of one of my all-time favorite musical theater scores, WEST SIDE STORY (closing this weekend at the Guthrie), as well as other works ranging from classical to popular. But I never really knew much about the man behind the music or what his life was like. Thanks to Open Eye Figure Theatre and the team from Chronofon Productions (Bradley Greenwald, Dan Chouinard, Diana Grasselli, and Prudence Johnson), I now feel like I have an even greater appreciation for the music as well as the person who created it. DEAR LENNY: BERNSTEIN'S LIFE IN SONGS AND LETTERS is a well constructed and entertaining deep dive into the life and work of one of the best American composers of the 20th Century.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series is thrilled to announce that singer/songwriter Amanda McBroom will return to the historic club on September 10th 2018 with "My Favorite Things- Songs I've Longed to Sing.' The selections include words and music from the likes of Annie LaMott, Stephen Sondheim, Fran Landesman, Cole Porter, Jacques Brel, Michele Brourman, and, naturally, McBroom herself. The evening promises to be one to calm the jitters, raise the hackles, and hopefully heal the heart. Showtime is 7:30pm. The historic jazz venue Birdland, which has embraced the diversity of cabaret performing in recent years is located at 315 West 44TH ST. between 8th and 9th Avenues.

On September 7th, 2018, Art House Productions' JC Fridays will be holding its 50th festival! Jersey City's premiere quarterly arts festival features art events that take place in restaurants, galleries, stores, and event spaces in almost every neighborhood of our great city. Our 50th JC FRIDAYS will showcase a variety of happenings including visual art exhibitions, live music, performance acts, educational demonstrations, and more. All events are free and open to the public. As one of the preeminent art scenes in the tri-state area, Jersey City is abound with visual and performing artists of all types, musicians, and individuals with unique talent; JC Fridays is one of the best times for them to share their newest projects and works.

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts:

Leaping lizards! The 5th Avenue Theatre is thrilled to announce that acclaimed Seattle actor Timothy McCuen Piggee and longtime 5th Avenue Theatre favorite Cynthia Jones will star as Daddy Warbucks and Miss Hannigan in this holiday season's production of the beloved musical Annie.

The Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda The Musical has announced new casting with Hayden Tee playing Miss Trunchbull alongside Rob Compton and Holly Dale Spencer as Mr and Mrs Wormwood. Gina Beck will continue to play Miss Honey, having joined the company in September 2017. Isobel Hubble and Francesca McKeown will join Sarah Munday and Olivia Wells in sharing the title role of Matilda. The multi award-winning production is currently playing its seventh year in the West End and is booking until 20 October 2019.

Standing Room Only and Graceful Productions have announced a staged reading of the new musical Calvin Berger at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Hollywood. With book, music, and lyrics by Barry Wyner and directed by Ovation Award-winner Richard Israel, the Calvin Berger staged reading will be presented today, August 10, and Saturday, August 11, at 8pm and Sunday, August 12, at 7pm. The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Grace Kaufman, Julia Lester, Jason Eric Testa, and one more actor to be announced. The musical director is Anthony Lucca.          

Skylight Music Theatre Artistic Director Ray Jivoff announced today that he will leave his position as of June 29, 2019. This marks 20 years on the staff of the company, 30 years since he first performed with Skylight and will follow soon after his 65th birthday.

One of the Bay Area's best entertainers celebrates the work of one of our greatest composers. Craig Jessup's Sondheim Tonight! brings together more than a dozen Sondheim gems from some of his earliest shows as a composer/lyricist (Saturday Night, Anyone Can Whistle) to some of his most beloved (Company, Follies, Merrily We Roll Along). And the show marks Jessup's debut at Feinstein's at the Nikko.

Standing Room Only and Graceful Productions have announced a staged reading of the new musical Calvin Berger at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Hollywood. With book, music, and lyrics by Barry Wyner and directed by Ovation Award-winner Richard Israel, the Calvin Berger staged reading will be presented on Friday, August 10, and Saturday, August 11, at 8pm and Sunday, August 12, at 7pm. The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Joshua Bassett, Grace Kaufman, Julia Lester, and Jason Eric Testa. The musical director is Anthony Lucca.

Rex Smith (Broadway: The Pirates of Penzance, Grand Hotel, The Scarlett Pimpernel) stars as Victor Velasco in Neil Simon's classic hit comedy Barefoot In The Park at the historic Sharon Playhouse in Connecticut from July 27 through August 12.

Standing Room Only and Graceful Productions have announced a staged reading of the new musical Calvin Berger at the Hudson Backstage Theatre in Hollywood. With book, music, and lyrics by Barry Wyner and directed by Ovation Award-winner Richard Israel, the Calvin Berger staged reading will be presented on Friday, August 10, and Saturday, August 11, at 8pm and Sunday, August 12, at 7pm. The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Grace Kaufman, Julia Lester, Jason Eric Testa, and one more actor to be announced. The musical director is Anthony Lucca.          

Rex Smith (Broadway: The Pirates of Penzance, Grand Hotel, The Scarlett Pimpernel) stars as Victor Velasco in Neil Simon's classic hit comedy Barefoot In The Park at the historic Sharon Playhouse in Connecticut from July 27 through August 12.

Director Dan Fishbach returns to the Odyssey Theatre, following up his smartly-directed JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS from last season, with his equally smartly-directed SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM. Strong vocals notwithstanding, Fishbach has managed to also feature the comedic underlyings of this Sondheim revue, resulting in laughs at the most delicious of moments.

Internationally renowned singer Barb Jungr and Grammy & Emmy award winner John McDaniel are together again with their newest collaboration: Float Like A Butterfly - The Sting Songbook. This collection has audiences and critics glowing. The pair continue to have worldwide success with live concerts and the CD of their Beatles collection, Come Together, available worldwide. This new show features some of Sting's best known and also lesser known songs, with Jungr as always bringing new meaning to classics "Fields of Gold", "Message in a Bottle" & "Englishman in New York", with McDaniel's nonpareil musicality, harmonies and her radiant humor.

Gloucester Stage Company continues its 39th season of professional theater with the New England premiere of Jason O'Connell and Brenda Withers' Cyrano from July 13 through August 11 at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA. Gloucester Stage Artistic Director Robert Walsh directs this adaptation of Rostand's 1897 classic, Cyrano de Bergerac. According to Walsh, 'Cyrano, a new adaptation of the famous play by Edmond Rostand (Cyrano de Bergerac), by Brenda Withers & Jason O'Connell, is a fast-paced, contemporized version featuring a small cast breathing fresh life into this large-scale classic.  Witty, clever, insouciant and fully enjoying the poetic bravura through a modern-day lens and very approachable language, this New England premiere will be perfect for Gloucester Stage!  A beautiful tale told with panache.'

Dan Fishbach (last season's award-winning Jacques Brel Is Alive and Living in Paris) returns to the Odyssey Theatre to direct a revival of Side by Side by Sondheim, set to run July 21 through Sept. 16 at the Odyssey's venue in West L.A.