Jay Rogers News

Help Is On The Way Today will hold its annual fundraising Gala on Sunday, May 17th, at Metropolitan Room.  Help Is On The Way Today is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2005 by MAC AWARD winning producer, Joseph Macchia, to assist children and youth living with HIV and AIDS. The full lineup of incredible talent has been confirmed. Solo performers include:

Somewhere In This Song: The Music and Lyrics of Nicholas Levin, which premiered this past Saturday afternoon at Metropolitan Room is a hit show that will undoubtedly find its legs for a much-deserved extended run there, or possibly on an Off-Broadway stage. Levin, a prodigious songwriter, has never achieved the recognition he deserves, in spite of getting a handful of award nominations, his stellar contributions to the 2006 hit Off-Broadway musical That Time of the Year at the York Theatre, and his long participation in the acclaimed ASCAP/MAC Songwriters Showcases. But with this latest revue featuring his songbook, Levin--and his work--may finally get his chance to shine.

When Cole Porter wrote, 'Anything Goes,' he could have easily been referring to New York cabaret circa the 2000-sies. One of the joys of attending and reviewing cabaret shows in the Big Apple these days is that every performing style, show theme, cultural perspective, political point of view, race, gender, and sexual preference is represented on a stage. Some cabaret purists may not agree, but the genre seems to have no boundaries in terms of what is acceptable and what is not. And as long as a show is entertaining, who cares about boundaries and strict definitions of what works in the art form? Here are reviews of three recent shows from Barbara Malley, Robin Kradles, and Donna Hayes that reflect the delicious diversity that is cabaret.

She's baaaack! Broadway's Robin Baxter (Mamma Mia, Footloose) will present Robin Baxter's Bipolar Beauty Tips & Chainsaw Repair Show, her tumultuous journey on and off Broadway with bipolar illness, for one night only at Metro Baptist Church (410 West 40th Street - between 9th & 10th Avenues) on Sunday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m. Directed by Jay Rogers (When Pigs Fly, Whoop-Dee-Doo!)with Musical Direction by Doug Katsaros (Somewhere in Time, The Toxic Avenger) the evening will include a mix of cabaret, music, song - and power point, as Ms. Baxter literally and figuratively takes a chainsaw to the stigma of mental health. Tickets are free, although donations will be accepted at the door. There will be a live chainsaw present. For more information, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/r-b-s-bipolar-beautytips-chainsaw-repair-show.

For 60 continuous hours, from 7pm on Thursday January 1 to 7am on Sunday January 4, New York's Metropolitan Room is staging what it is billing as "The Longest Variety Show Ever." Featuring approximately 160 performers and 15 emcees, the entertainment will span music, burlesque, comedy, drag, theatre/opera, magic and puppetry.

According to mythology, the 'Phoenix' was a bird of great beauty, said to have lived 1,000 years in the Arabian wilderness. The Phoenix burns itself to ashes on an ancient funeral pyre, only to rise again from those ashes with the renewed exuberance of youth. Its renewed life cycle symbolizes the immortality of the spirit, the rebirth of idealism, the essence of creativity, and the aura of eternal hope. With her new show at the Laurie Beechman, Visible Phoenix (which opened October 17 and returned last Friday night), multi-award winner Carolyn Montgomery-Forant has returned to the cabaret stage (after a 14-year hiatus to raise her son and run a cafe business) as the very personification of that rare beautiful bird.

THIS IS YOUR NIGHT! will honor Joseph Macchia at the Metropolitan Room on October 27, 2014 at p.m.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

This August and September 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

Theatre professionals who missed IDAHO! at NYMF will have an opportunity to see it in staged reading this Friday, April 25th only. The new musical, named 'Best of Fest' was met with cascades of laughter during its sold-out run, prompting the festival to add extra performances. The show has been described as "a rollicking satire that takes the sexually-charged subtext of the classic musical and puts it front and center." One four-time Tony winning producer called it simply, "A hoot and a half!"

Award-winning theater and cabaret performers Eric Michael Gillett (Sweet Smell of Success, The Frogs, Kiss Me, Kate), Carolyn Montgomery-Forant (MAC/Bistro/Nightlife Awards), Sidney Myer (MAC/Bistro/Mabel Mercer Award-winner,Grandma Sylvia's Funeral) & Drama Desk nominee Jay Rogers (Whoop-Dee-Doo, When Pigs Fly) joined forces to present an evening of sly songs with titillating tunes & lascivious lyrics from the present to days of yore. Sondheim, Flanders & Swann, Coward & Porter mixed with just a dash of Tom Lehrer & even Pete Townshend, Dirty Little Songs was performed with a wink & a nudge by four of cabaret's funniest & most prolific performers. Check out photos from the special performance below!

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

Award-winning theater and cabaret performers Eric Michael Gillett (Sweet Smell of Success, The Frogs, Kiss Me, Kate), Carolyn Montgomery-Forant(MAC/Bistro/Nightlife Awards), Sidney Myer (MAC/Bistro/Mabel Mercer Award-winner,Grandma Sylvia's Funeral) & Drama Desk nominee Jay Rogers (Whoop-Dee-Doo, When Pigs Fly) join forces to present an evening of sly songs with titillating tunes & lascivious lyrics from the present to days of yore. Sondheim, Flanders & Swann, Coward & Porter mixed with just a dash of Tom Lehrer & even Pete Townshend, performed with a wink & a nudge by four of cabaret's funniest & most prolific performers.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, has announced the nominees for the 2014 MAC Awards. Winners in twenty-five categories will be voted by the MAC membership by anonymous ballot and announced at the MAC Awards Gala on March 27th at BB King's Blue Club in Times Square at: 237 W. 42 St between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets start at $50.00. For additional information on MAC, to become a member, or to order tickets to the event, visit: http://macnyc.com.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

This February and March at 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond, including Christopher Sieber, Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Melinda Doolittle, Jeff Daniels, Linda Eder, Andrea McArdle, Sondheim Unplugged, Taboo: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Beth Leavel, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena.

This February and March at 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond, including Christopher Sieber, Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Melinda Doolittle, Jeff Daniels, Linda Eder, Andrea McArdle, Sondheim Unplugged, Taboo: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Beth Leavel, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena.

{Your Name Here} A Queer Theater and Bureau of General Services- Queer DIvision team up to present a one- night reading of POZ, by Michael Aman to raise funds for both companies on December 2 at 8 PM. The performance will be held at The Playroom Theater.

{Your Name Here} A Queer Theater and Bureau of General Services- Queer DIvision team up to present a one- night reading of POZ, by Michael Aman to raise funds for both companies on December 2 at 8 PM. The performance will be held at The Playroom Theater.