James Lent News

Emmy winner Wayne Brady, renowned for Who's Line Is It Anyway? and currently the host of Let's Make A Deal, will perform in CONCERT FOR VICTOR: A Benefit at the intimate Carrie Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse.

Emmy winner Wayne Brady, renowned for Who's Line Is It Anyway? and currently the host of Let's Make A Deal, will perform in CONCERT FOR VICTOR: A Benefit at the intimate Carrie Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse.

The Office's Melora Hardin (Broadway's Chicago), WINGS' Steven Weber (Broadway's The Producers) and That's So Raven's Anneliese van der Pol (Broadway's Beauty & the Beast) will perform in CONCERT FOR VICTOR: A Benefit at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse.

On Sunday June 5 LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011 Judy Mora debuted her cabaret show @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Looking glamorous in a sleeveless pink evening dress the beautiful Mora presented her uplifting journey through life thus far with candor, brevity and elegance. The daughter of a preacher and a missionary, Mora learned to sing as a tiny child and her great vocal prowess and sturdy technique serve as testimony to her tenacity and optimism for living.

ollowing its most lucrative successful January/February ever, Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA says 'We are blessed to have enjoyed the most lucrative beginning of any year since our 2006 opening. This success is largely due to the unprecedented advance sales of our annual 6-week musical theatre talent competition LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011, and a series of spectacular debuts by such outstanding Broadway/Nightclub headliners as Nita Whitaker, Jason Graae, Maxine Lapiduss, and Suzanne Petrela. Notable Southland Musical Directors such as James Lent, Nelson Kole, John Boswell, and Michael Orland (of American Idol) also contributed to our 2011 kickoff.'

ollowing its most lucrative successful January/February ever, Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA says 'We are blessed to have enjoyed the most lucrative beginning of any year since our 2006 opening. This success is largely due to the unprecedented advance sales of our annual 6-week musical theatre talent competition LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011, and a series of spectacular debuts by such outstanding Broadway/Nightclub headliners as Nita Whitaker, Jason Graae, Maxine Lapiduss, and Suzanne Petrela. Notable Southland Musical Directors such as James Lent, Nelson Kole, John Boswell, and Michael Orland (of American Idol) also contributed to our 2011 kickoff.'

ollowing its most lucrative successful January/February ever, Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA says 'We are blessed to have enjoyed the most lucrative beginning of any year since our 2006 opening. This success is largely due to the unprecedented advance sales of our annual 6-week musical theatre talent competition LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011, and a series of spectacular debuts by such outstanding Broadway/Nightclub headliners as Nita Whitaker, Jason Graae, Maxine Lapiduss, and Suzanne Petrela. Notable Southland Musical Directors such as James Lent, Nelson Kole, John Boswell, and Michael Orland (of American Idol) also contributed to our 2011 kickoff.'

ollowing its most lucrative successful January/February ever, Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA says 'We are blessed to have enjoyed the most lucrative beginning of any year since our 2006 opening. This success is largely due to the unprecedented advance sales of our annual 6-week musical theatre talent competition LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011, and a series of spectacular debuts by such outstanding Broadway/Nightclub headliners as Nita Whitaker, Jason Graae, Maxine Lapiduss, and Suzanne Petrela. Notable Southland Musical Directors such as James Lent, Nelson Kole, John Boswell, and Michael Orland (of American Idol) also contributed to our 2011 kickoff.'

On Sunday February 6 LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011 held its finale at Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's beginning at 11:30 am. 20 contestants competed in a nonstop round and then the audience and judges voted for the top 5. Points were added together for the entire six weeks of the competition which began January 2. Those named were Michael David, Reba Buhr, Emily Goglia, Judy Mora and Matthew McFarland. There was a thrill-packed final round of singing and then Judy Mora emerged victoriously as the winner. James Lent served as musical director.

LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011 began its six-week run through February 6 this past Sunday, January 2, 2011 @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. It was a long first show, due mostly to some unforseen technical issues, but boasts 20 very talented vocalists, well worth checking out in the weeks ahead.

LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011 rings in the New Year at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in Los Angeles. The fifth anniversary presentation of this distinguished musical theatre talent competition shines the spotlight on an unprecedented twenty (20) young contestants beginning Sunday, January 6.

Studio City's Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area, has set Saturday December 11 and Sunday, December 12 as audition dates for the fifth anniversary of LA's Next Great Stage Star, it was announced today by producers Michael Sterling and Tony Monsour of of Michael Sterling & Associates (www.msapr.net). As of Wednesday, December 1, potential contestants may call Michael Sterling & Associates at 818 623-7300, Ext. 2 to schedule an audition appointment.

Taylor Tracey was a top five finalist in LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010, and one of its youngest. This gal has a truly dazzling voice. She can belt out a big number like 'The Name of the Game' from Mama Mia and deliver ever so gently as with Jason Robert Brown's beautiful 'What It Means To Be a Friend' from 13. On Sunday September 26, Tracey brought the house down @ Sterling's and proved why she made the top five of this year's contest.

Actor/singer Blake McIver Ewing, well known for his big screen remake of The Little Rascals, his amazing 1992 Junior Vocalist Champion status on TV's Star Search and his stint on TV's Full House, among many others, has undeniably left his mark as an immensely talented child star. With his stage appearances in Light in the Piazza, and most recently in the critically-acclaimed Chess, he is showing just how phenomenal a talent he has become: a mature, fully blossomed musical comedy performer. On Sunday, September 5, Ewing added yet another remarkable dimension to his career with his cabaret debut @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's: Musical Confessions of a Child Co-Star.

Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's, LA's 'Cabaret destination' as described by the Los Angeles Times, welcomes a stellar roster of headliners as summer temperatures in LA continue to soar.

Raquel_Sandler_a_Hit_Sterlings_20010101 One of the top five finalists in LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010 Raquel Sandler successfully premiered her cabaret gig @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's Sunday July 11 to a packed house. This outstanding singer/character actress picked tunes that not only show off her tremendous range as a vocalist but as comic actress as well.

Singer/musical comedy actress Domonique Paton, runnerup in LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010 made her cabaret debut Sunday June 27 at Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's to a thundering standing ovation. What potential for great success this young artist has! She is vibrantly alive with a strong voice and steadfast delivery that in the past have served quite well the like of Stephanie Mills, Diana Ross and Miss Lena Horne who all had gigantic careers on Broadway, the big screen and in the recording studio. Paton possesses that rare star quality that will sustain her for life if she keeps on singing. Virtuoso pianist/accompanist James Lent served as musical director.

On Sunday evening April 25 Bobby Bennett brought his inimitable sounds of A Night of Love to Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. This was his cabaret debut here, although he competed in this past season's LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010. A former finalist on American Idol, Bobby Bennett is so vocally smooth and possesses an easy listening style that makes him the perfect pop recording artist. He infuses his audience, in his very own special way, with a desire to really listen to his music. So, I am naming him the Michael Feinstein of the coming decade.

Upon the conclusion of the January 3rd Finale of six, unprecedented sold-out days of competition among 18 contestants at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA, the spectacular, collective performances of Janet Krupin earned her the coveted title of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2010.