Jennifer Holliday News

Celebrate songs and scenes of a motion picture master. FOR THE RECORD: JOHN HUGHES celebrates the soundtracks that defined a generation. Immerse yourself in 80's movie magic with Bender, Ferris, Ducky, Sam, Kevin and the Griswolds. Hollywood's critically acclaimed 360-degree concert and dining experience makes it's New York debut at City Winery on June 27th at 8PM.

Before the presentation of the first of the final 7 of our Tony Awards clips beginning tomorrow, today we have one of the true standouts of Tony Awards lore, and one of those clips to show the theatrically uninitiated who ask you, "What are the Tony Awards anyway?" Well, honey, this is the Tony Awards. Furthermore, this is the Tony Awards at their very best - and most moving and most theatrical - DREAMGIRLS. Here is the Michael Bennett-directed original cast in a medley specifically devised by Bennett for the Tony Awards telecast - just as he had done for the sequences from A CHORUS LINE featured on the 1976 Tony Awards, choreographing the camera shots and cuts to, and on, the quick - and the original Broadway cast led by that year's Tony-winners Jennifer Holliday and Sheryl Lee Ralph alongside Loretta Devine and Obba Babatunde. There had never been a score or a show quite like DREAMGIRLS on Broadway before and there has not been one yet since - unless the blatant homages in last year's Best Musical MEMPHIS somehow count as soul and originality. This is soul. This is originality. This is genius. And, this is the Tony Awards at their utmost best.

The Cleveland Orchestra will have three new commercial recordings available worldwide in May: a new DVD recordings of Franz Welser-Most leading Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 recorded at Severance Hall; Pierre Boulez leading the Adagio from Mahler's Symphony No. 10 and Des Knaben Wunderhorn with vocal soloists Magdalena Kožena, mezzo-soprano, and Christian Gerhaher, baritone; and a CD of Mitsuko Uchida leading and performing Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 27.

Not being one given to exaggeration, I can say in all honesty that Earl Turner is the best solo performer in Las Vegas. Well, sort of. Earl is certainly the best, one of the people who earned Las Vegas the name "The City of Entertainment." But, sadly, he's not here often enough these days. Like so many other talented people, the economy has sent him packing, to other cities, on cruises - and Las Vegas-based entertainers are a staple of cruises these days - to anyplace there is work. In his case, that is a pity. Earl Turner is his generation's Sammy Davis, Jr. (Remember, no exaggeration!) He can sing, he dances and is a fine actor, too. While his show doesn't feature the latter, it certainly showcases his singing and dancing. He is also the only man I've ever seen perform And I'm Telling You (from Dreamgirls) and do it as well as Jennifer Holliday did.

The Cleveland Orchestra will have three new commercial recordings available worldwide in May: a new DVD recordings of Franz Welser-Most leading Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 recorded at Severance Hall; Pierre Boulez leading the Adagio from Mahler's Symphony No. 10 and Des Knaben Wunderhorn with vocal soloists Magdalena Kožena, mezzo-soprano, and Christian Gerhaher, baritone; and a CD of Mitsuko Uchida leading and performing Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 27.

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing's 65th Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards were announced May 3, 2011 by Tony Award winning actor Matthew Broderick and Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, at the Tony Award Nominations Announcement sponsored by IBM.

On Saturday, April 30 at 7:00pm, members of the Bay Area Cabaret & Theatrical communities join forces to raise funds for, and honor the work of, cabaret columnist and award-winning director Mike Ward, facing the final months of terminal, inoperable liver cancer.

Conceived and directed by Rhonda Miller, Director/Lecturer of Dance at Pace, this concert will feature choreography by Rhonda Miller, Joshua Dean, Alisa Paradowski, Jennifer Littlefield, Stephanie Torbik, Mike Schulster, Lauren Gaul, Allison Easter and student choreographers Ashley Williams, Courtney Taylor, Matthew Cullen and Christina Fuschetto.

Reviews likes hers last week usually only come once in a lifetime and there is no question whatsoever that the brightest new star on Broadway is none other than SISTER ACT's own Patina Miller. She is a superstar of the highest order singing one of the strongest scores on Broadway in years - from the gifted, gilded pen of six-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken. In this extensive, exclusive conversation we discuss her long history with the role, her recent performance in the Encores! staging of Weill's LOST IN THE STARS, as well as her work with Henry Krieger on both his recent musical ROMANTIC POETRY and being a runner-up on the DREAMGIRLS movie when the role of Effie White went to Jennifer Hudson. Additionally, we discuss HAIR, working with Sondheim on BEING ALIVE, her own favorite recent shows, her close friendship with fellow West End/Broadway criss-crosser Jonathan Groff, her soap stint on ALL MY CHILDREN, what her solo album would sound like, and much, much more!

Hartt celebrates its Jazz alumni on Monday, April 25, when several alumni of Hartt's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz join together for a concert and evening of fond reminiscence, followed by a special dessert reception.

Hartt celebrates its alumni this spring with two alumni reunion concerts. On Monday, April 21, three alumni of the Vocal Studies Division perform at 7:00 PM in Wilde Auditorium on the University of Hartford's main campus, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford.

On Saturday, April 30 at 7:00pm, members of the Bay Area Cabaret & Theatrical communities join forces to raise funds for, and honor the work of, cabaret columnist and award-winning director Mike Ward, facing the final months of terminal, inoperable liver cancer.

Conceived and directed by Rhonda Miller, Director/Lecturer of Dance at Pace, this concert will feature choreography by Rhonda Miller, Joshua Dean, Alisa Paradowski, Jennifer Littlefield, Stephanie Torbik, Mike Schulster, Lauren Gaul, Allison Easter and student choreographers Ashley Williams, Courtney Taylor, Matthew Cullen and Christina Fuschetto.

Porchlight Music Theatre presents the highly anticipated new musical MEET JOHN DOE, based on the film of the same name by Frank Capra, for the final performance on April 17, 2011 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, Chicago. The production is Directed and Choreographed by James Beaudry, Artistic Director at Timber Lake Playhouse.

Hartt celebrates its Jazz alumni on Monday, April 25, when several alumni of Hartt's Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz join together for a concert and evening of fond reminiscence, followed by a special dessert reception.

On Saturday, April 30 at 7:00pm, members of the Bay Area Cabaret & Theatrical communities join forces to raise funds for, and honor the work of, cabaret columnist and award-winning director Mike Ward, facing the final months of terminal, inoperable liver cancer.

The long overdue London premiere of the Broadway musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd, directed by acclaimed West End and RSC director Ian Judge, and designed by three time Olivier Award winner Tim Goodchild, opens for a four week limited season at the Finborough Theatre on Tuesday, 7 June 2011 (Press Night: Thursday, 9 June 2011 at 7.30pm).

On this very day in 1943, Michael DiFiglia was born in Buffalo, New York, and the world of Broadway would simply never be the same. Cutting his teeth with the accomplished choreography for A JOYFUL NOISE, PROMISES, PROMISES, SEESAW and COCO was merely the beginning of a career that would virtually rewrite and revolutionize the ways and means by which a director could yield ultimate control over a project. With COMPANY and FOLLIES, the later co-directing with Hal Prince, Bennett solidified himself as one of the most talented and brilliant choreographers of his generation and, shortly thereafter, proved with A CHORUS LINE that he was a master theatrical engineer with few, if any, peers. Worldwide success, Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize were just the gravy. Who else but Michael Bennett would then, or ever, receive - or should I say, earn - the credit "Entire Production Conceived, Produced and Directed by," besides him? While BALLROOM failed to live up to A CHORUS LINE in mostly every way, he soon after reinvented the wheel yet again with DREAMGIRLS in 1981. We never got to see his productions of CHESS and SCANDAL, both of which he was in the latter stages of developing at the time of his death in 1988. Broadway has never been the same since he's been gone. So, today, on the day following a glittering new production of COMPANY at Lincoln Center - with the complete dance sequence "Tick Tock" fully restored, now with five dancers - we take a tip of the top hat to the tops in taps, temerity and truthfulness onstage - the one and only Michael Bennett.

WHITE PLAINS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER is pleased to announce the world premiere production of Andrew Gerle?s RENOVATIONS, directed by Mikhael Tara Garver.