John McDaniel News

J. Elaine Marcos debuted her hilarious one woman show What I Did for...a Job at Feinstein's/54 Below on September 5.

It's a good thing Gianni Valenti built the new Birdland Theater incorporating substantial soundproofing material. The screams and laughter coming from last night's audience would have alarmed the upstairs music lovers enjoying a great performance in the legendary 'Jazz Corner of The World'

Theatre Philadelphia, the region's marketing and leadership organization for theatre, proudly announces the 2018 nominees for the Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre. Celebrating the rich, diverse professional theatre scene in the Greater Philadelphia region, the Barrymore Ceremony will be held on Monday, November 5th at 7pm at the Bok Building at 1901 S. 9th Street in South Philadelphia. Guests will continue the festivities with an after-party Celebration at the same location. Tickets for artists, supporters, and the general public are now on sale at www.theatrephiladelphia.org.

In some ways, attending a Melissa Manchester concert is akin to the atmosphere, familiarity, and warmth you have in a house of worship.  Last night during her performance at Barrington Stage Co. Mellisa's music evoked the same feelings you have when listening to familiar melodies and words that have been with you and most of the 'congregation' their whole lives. Mellisa has a breathtaking voice and phrasing which kept the BSC audience mesmerized with the songs and stories from her extraordinary career.  There were songs that the Grammy winner either wrote or chose to sing in an evening that  highlighted tunes from her new album The Fellas.  In it Melissa honors the great male singers that have influenced her. As well as having a full performance schedule Melissa also teaches music at the University of Southern California.  

Broadway's J. Elaine Marcos brings her comedic timing and scene stealing talents back to New York in her one woman show What I Did for…a Job at Feinstein's/54 Below on September 5th, 2018 at 9:30 pm. 

Don't miss Barb Jungr and John McDaniel's final two performances of '1968-Let The Sun Shine In' at Joe's Pub on July 28 and 29. The set list is powerful, recalling a tumultuous and pivotal year - and the year 'Hair' debuted at - where else - the PUBLIC THEATER. The partnership of Jungr and McDaniel has produced several shows and two recordings. Their first, 'Come Together - Barb Jungr and John McDaniel Perform the Beatles' was critically lauded internationally.

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.

Following the release in 2016 of their highly acclaimed album Come Together - Barb Jungr and John McDaniel Perform The Beatles, the ferociously talented, award-winning duo have two collaborations arriving imminently on both sides of the pond.

Winners for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced just last night at The Town Hall. In keeping with Drama Desk's mission, nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway during the 2017-2018 New York theater season in the same competitive categories.

Billy Porter talks about singing since he was a kid and how it helped him deal with bullies, and what inspired him to pursue performing as a career on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan!

The Muny announced today its full cast, design and production teams for the theatre's centennial season closing production of Meet Me In St. Louis, August 4 - 12. 

Tony and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter does not hold back. The busy actor, composer and director has also put out four solo albums. The most recent, Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rodgers, features Porter's new, soulful takes on classic Richard Rodgers songs, from 'My Funny Valentine' to 'Edelweiss.'  Porter will be bringing his album to life on the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts stage on Saturday, June 2 at 8pm.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center honored multi-discipline creative artist Lin-Manuel Miranda with the 18th Monte Cristo Award, last night at a private dinner at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. An alumnus of the O'Neill, Miranda's first professional production was at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference with In The Heights in 2005. The gala dinner featured a conversation with the honoree and raised $575,000 to support the Center's commitment to developing new work and new artists for the stage.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announced today the 2018 summer season of plays, musicals, and other works in development at the National Puppetry Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Playwrights Conference, and Cabaret & Performance Conference.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud to present award-winning singer Natalie Douglas with another one of her very special "Tributes!" On Monday, April 9, she threw an onstage celebration of the music and magic of the one and only Elvis Presley. Songs included "Blue Suede Shoes," "Viva Las Vegas," and "If I Can Dream."

This week the 2018 MAC Award winners were revealed at the 32nd MAC Awards on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York City. Check out the full list of winners and checkout exclusive backstage photos from the event below!

It was indeed a weekend of love at the Patchogue Theatre honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the iconic musical, Hair. To commemorate, the gorgeous Long Island venue put together a thrilling - and abbreviated - concert version of the Tony winner featuring top talent from Broadway and beyond for a stellar celebration brilliantly directed and conducted by Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner John McDaniel. Set in the late 1960s/early 19070's, the story follows a "tribe" of politically active hippies promoting community and love during the Vietnam Era - one of the many themes in this story.

One of the most exciting voices of her generation, Eden Espinosa has wowed audiences in Broadway's Wicked, Rent, and Brooklyn.Now, the Anaheim-native returns home to perform an intimate evening of Broadway and contemporary favorites as part of Musical Theatre West's Broadway in Concert series on Saturday, March 31, 7pm at the Beverly O'Neill Theatre in Long Beach. Tickets are now on sale at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856-1999 ext. 4 or at the Musical Theatre West Ticket Office. Tickets range from $45-$120.

HB Studio, one of New York's legendary institutions for theater training and practice, presents HB Celebrates Leonard Bernstein at 100, an evening of songs from the musical theater works of Leonard Bernstein.

Patchogue Theatre will be producing a full concert version of the exciting, Broadway altering and Tony, Drama Desk and Grammy-winning Musical 'HAIR'. Directed by the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony-winning John McDaniel and starring Broadway and American Idol's Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo, along with a cast of young Broadway and national touring talent. A full 11 piece band will back this amazing cast. With its Broadway Debut in 1968, Hair established the 'Rock Musical'. This groundbreaking show celebrates youth the hippie counterculture, anti-war movement and sexual revolution of the 1960s with a score of hits - including 'Hair', 'Aquarius', 'Easy to be Hard', 'Good Morning Starshine' all have become part of our pop culture.