John McDaniel News

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents HAPPY DAYS, running May 5 - July 17, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in costume below!

Westchester Broadway Theatre presents HAPPY DAYS, running May 5 - July 17, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in costume below!

A re-imagined version of the 1921 musical SHUFFLE ALONG, one of the earliest stage hits starring, written and directed by African-Americans, opens tonight, April 28, on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. SHUFFLE ALONG has a new book and is directed by George C. Wolfe, choreographed by Savion Glover. Scroll down to learn more about the company, plus watch SUNDAY MORNING's recent behind-the-scenes look at the show!

Michael Childers' ninth annual One Night Only benefit concert, which is entitled Sondheim in Love, will be presented tonight at 6:30 PM at The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. Directed by Lucie Arnaz, the evening will feature musical direction by John McDaniel. The show will feature Sondheim's most romantic songs sung by a starry line-up of Broadway's most prolific musical storytellers.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is pleased to announce Jazz Inspired with Judy Carmichael and Billy Stritch on Saturday, May 21 at 8 pm. Tickets are $50 sides, $65 Center, $75 with VIP Reception and available online at www.baystreet.org or by calling the Bay Street Theater Box Office at 631-725-9500, open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 5 pm. 

BroadwayWorld is excited to report that North Carolina Stage Company (NC Stage) will welcome Broadway's Justin Matthew Sargent as the lead for its world premiere of BRAVE NEW WORLD: THE MUSICAL.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announced today the 2016 summer season of plays, musicals, and other works in development at the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Puppetry Conference, and Cabaret & Performance Conference.

On Monday, March 28, the Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud to present "Piano Men," starring pianists Brad Simmons, Eric Yves Garcia and Matt Baker. The one-night-only event was directed by John McDaniel. BroadwayWorld has photos from the concert below!

At a ceremony held earlier this week in New York, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs announced the winners of the 2016 MAC Awards. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Amanda McBroom. Also honored with a Board of Directors award was Maryann Lopinto. Jamie deRoy received the Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Award on behalf of her work with The Actors Fund: Jamie deRoy & Friends Cabaret Initiative. Sally Darling received the Hanson Award. The show was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, with musical direction by Matt Baker.

A brand new Yamaha C7 Concert Grand Piano was delivered to Birdland yesterday and to start off it's residency in it's new home The Broadway at Birdland Series presented Piano Men.

Bay Area Musicals!, the newest non-profit theatrical organization to join the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area arts community, presents its inaugural benefit fundraiser, A Twist of Limelight, on Monday, May 9, 2016 at the Castro Theatre (429 Castro St) in San Francisco. Stage and screen actress Eden Espinosa (Rent, Wicked, Brooklyn the Musical) - best known for playing Elphaba in the musical Wicked - will give a special performance. Proceeds from the benefit support upcoming productions by Bay Area Musicals!

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is now accepting applications for the Cabaret & Performance Conference Fellows Program through Friday, April 29. The program welcomes talented performers from wide-ranging experience and backgrounds, seeking to train and hone their craft with the finest coaches and music directors in the business.

TUTS Underground has a crowd pleaser on its hands, and this one should have a deservedly successful run with plenty of fans at the end of it. THE SWEET POTATO QUEENS tells a great story, has a solid cast, and is a ton of fun.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its lineup for March 28-April 3, featuring Ben Allison Trio, ShowBiz After Hours with Frank DiLella, Alicia Olatuja, and more. Scroll down for details!

? North Carolina Stage Company (NC Stage) continues its recent development of world premiere productions. After playing a vital role in the development of Stalking the Bogeyman before its Off-Broadway and West End runs and Someone Else, currently slated for an off-Broadway run this spring, NC Stage announces the world premiere of the brand new musical Brave New World. This will consequently change the originally slated production of Bad Dates.

Original "Jersey Boy" Michael Longoria is gearing up to release BROADWAY BRICK BY BRICK May 6th on Broadway Records. He will celebrate the release with an intimate performance at Joe's Pub at The Public on May 2nd at 9:30pm. To purchase tickets, go to Joe's Pub Ticket Link. To pre-order the album, head to Broadway Records. 

Karen Mason, the acclaimed star of stage and screen, will make her Feinstein's at the Nikko debut for two performances only - Friday, May 6 (8 p.m.) and Saturday, May 7 (7 p.m.). - with her one-woman show, Mason's Makin' Music. Mason will perform songs from throughout her extensive career, including "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from Sunset Boulevard, as well as selections from her upcoming CD, including the title song, "It's About Time," written by Shelly Markham and Mason's husband, Paul Rolnick, for marriage equality! Tickets for Karen Mason range in price from $50 - $70 and are available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

Birdland will kick-off March's programming with the following acts:

This week at FEINSTEIN'S/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, visitwww.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

With just two weeks remaining in the voting for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards, three performers are leading in two different categories, while two Broadway stars--Alan Cumming and Betty Buckley-- are winning the vote in their respective "celebrity categories.' Voting for the awards ends on New Year's Eve, December 31.