Judy Garland News

Today we are talking to an accomplished and charismatic West End and Broadway star who originally made a name for herself as the title character in the infamous page-to-stage adaptation of Stephen King's CARRIE who has gone on to achieve acclaim for numerous starring roles in the UK ranging from JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT to CHICAGO as well as the original West End casts of THE SECRET GARDEN, MARY POPPINS, and, most recently, LONDON ROAD - Linzi Hateley. Shedding some light on her unforgettable West End and Broadway debut as well as bringing us all the way up to the present day commenting on her hotly anticipated return to New York later this month with her new cabaret show at 54 Below, titled SINCE CARRIE, Hateley grants a rare all access pass to her career onstage and onscreen. Besides all about SINCE CARRIE and CARRIE itself, Hateley also recounts her experiences participating in the original cast of a number of notable West End and UK productions, including THE SECRET GARDEN, MARY POPPINS and more. Also, Hateley shares first news of the forthcoming feature film adaptation of UK hit LONDON ROAD and how her stage role will be adapted to the big screen iteration. On the topic of screen roles, Hateley also offers the 411 on her participation in the smash hit cinematic version of international stage hit LES MISERABLES and voices her thoughts on the movie musical revolution in general. Besides all of that, Hateley reflects on her work in the Stephen Sondheim revue MOVING ON and offers opinions on some of her most cherished studio recordings. All of that, a look ahead to starring in Cameron Mackintosh's upcoming UK tour of BARNUM and much more in this wide-ranging chat with an astonishingly versatile and always engaging West End and Broadway leading lady.

Profiles in History, the world's largest auctioneer of Hollywood memorabilia, is proud to present the third and final auction of Debbie Reynolds' Hollywood collection. 'Debbie Reynolds-The Auction Finale' will feature treasures from virtually every discipline in movie making, including hundreds of costumes worn by such stars as Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, Mae West, Barbara Stanwyck and Fred Astaire.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will continue its engagement at JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, May 18 at 9:30 PM with a celebration of the pop diva Janet Jackson. After a highly-successful season at 54 Below, The Meeting* has returned to its downtown roots this year with shows through May. The Meeting* has been called "delicious and delightfully droll" by The New York Post, and "hilarious and sardonic" by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening "so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight." The May show will feature special guest Erin Markey in addition to the previously-announced Cole Escola, Nadia Quinn of "Summer & Eve" and John Early. Brett Every serves as Music Director.

Philip Roger Roy & Dana Matthow (the producers behind last year's smash-hit production of My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm in Therapy) present the smash-hit comedy, MY SON THE WAITER, A JEWISH TRAGEDY, written and performed by Brad Zimmerman. MY SON THE WAITER - A JEWISH TRAGEDY will preview on Wednesday, August 27 at 2:30pm & 7:30pm and will open on Thursday, August 28 at 7:30pm, and continue through Sunday, September 21st, at the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its great line-up of amazing talent for the month of June 2014, featuring Freddy Cole, Stacey Kent, Ravi Coltrane Quartet, Tierney Sutton Quartet, Native Soul, Lorna Luft, Jane Monheit, Jim Caruso's Cast Party Celebrates the Tony Awards, and more!

Refresh you musical memory with a selection of classic melodies when The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall (SPMH) presents That's Entertainment with the Mighty Wurlitzer at Cincinnati's Music Hall today, May 15 at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM. The popular theatre organ concert series is presented in cooperation with the Ohio Valley Chapter of the American Organ Society.

Harold Arlen wrote over 400 songs from 1926 - 1974. His music was made famous by Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and the iconic Judy Garland. Vocal powerhouse Johanna Allen showcases a catalogue of his most well known music: The Man that got Away, Blues in the Night, Get Happy, One for my baby, The Old Black Magic, Down With Love, Paper Moon, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and entwines stories from the women who loved him and the words of his other great musical work 'The Wizard of Oz'.

Acclaimed performer & YouTube sensation, Christina Bianco, brings her versatile vocals and celebrity impressions to Feinstein's at the Nikko for two performances only - Thursday, June 19 (8 p.m.) and Friday, June 20 (8 p.m.).

Richard E. Waits will return to DIVAPALOOZA at New York's The Metropolitan Room on Thursday May 22nd at 7 PM.

'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' the iconic song from 1939's The Wizard of Oz, will be honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, now celebrating its 45th anniversary.

Cleveland Play House enthusiastically welcomes dance legend Maurice Hines to Cleveland in the toe-tapping extravaganza, Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life. Co-produced with Alliance Theatre and Arena Stage, CPH audiences will be dazzled by this infectious production, which brings the history of American tap to life. Directed by Tony-nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) and featuring contemporary tap icons The Manzari Brothers and music from the all-female big band The Diva Orchestra, Tappin' Thru Life will dance its way onto PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theatre stage for an extended run from May 30 - June 29. Special gratitude is given to CPH's generous sponsor, Zinner & Co.

If you are even a semi-regular reader of this column of reviews, you know that about every three or four months, I post a compilation of observations of shows from the previous quarter of the year. This cabaret critiquing mash up happens for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I admittedly see too many cabaret shows for the amount of time I have to promptly review them (and then, of course, the usual writer's procrastination sets in). So I have to prioritize the timeliness of the reviews based on the prestige of the performer, the length of a show run, the strength (or lack thereof) of the performance, etc. The quality of the shows in these compilations—which can range from a half dozen to a dozen reviews in one shot—are usually a mixed bag of outright raves, qualified positives, and constructive pans (I'm not a fan of the word “negative” in the reviewer lexicon). With that in mind here are a collection of cabaret show reviews going back to the start of a very harsh winter.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will continue its engagement at JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, May 18 at 9:30 PM with a celebration of the pop diva Janet Jackson. After a highly-successful season at 54 Below, The Meeting* has returned to its downtown roots this year with shows through May. The Meeting* has been called "delicious and delightfully droll" by The New York Post, and "hilarious and sardonic" by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening "so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight." The May show will feature special guests Cole Escola, Nadia Quinn of "Summer & Eve" and John Early, with others to be announced.

SHOW AND TELL pairs the glamorous Michele Maxwell with the urbane Roland Perold in this intimate musical revue.

The show is a celebration of the life of Maurice Hines, his brother Gregory, and their parents who Maurice fondly remembers throughout the show. Adding to emotional content, moveable screens that divide the orchestra from the performing area were often used to display photographs of the Hines family in their early days. And throughout the show, Hines, now a young 70 years old, expresses sheer joy in entertaining his audience, singing and dancing with a passion from deep within his soul. You can't help but be pulled into the magic!

The Muny has announced the principle casting for its fourth show of its 96th season, The Addams Family, directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, choreographed by Vince Pesce, with musical direction by Ben Whiteley. The Addams Family is sponsored by Missouri Lottery.

Artists from their Spring 2014 season sing 'Over the Rainbow' to help the Boston Pops celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. Artists include Jason Alexander, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Porter, The Hot Sardines, Jennifer Holliday, and Leonard Nimoy.

The Ogunquit Playhouse, America's Foremost Summer Theatre, kicks off its 82nd season with Grease, the musical that Ogunquit audiences rated as the No. 1 show they wanted to see in 2014. It's the beloved rock n' roll celebration of teen angst, fast cars and first loves all set in the fabulous fifties. This all-new production is on stage May 21 to June 21 and features the irresistible songs from the Tony Award nominated Broadway show and hit movie, including 'You're The One That I Want,' 'Grease Is The Word,' 'Summer Nights,' 'Hopelessly Devoted To You,' 'Greased Lightnin' and many more.

Award-winning playwright Ayub Khan Din's first play, East is East, which premiered at the Royal Court and was later turned into a much-loved feature film, returns to the London stage after 17 years. This hilarious and ever-pertinent modern classic about growing up in multiracial England will star the multi award-winning stage and screen actress Jane Horrocks (Young Vic's Annie Get Your Gun,Sunshine on Leith, The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, Absolutely Fabulous) as Ella Khan, one of the greatest female roles written for modern theatre.

Michael Feinstein and the Pasadena POPS kick off their one of a kind, simply cannot miss popular outdoor summer concert series at the Los Angeles County Arboretum on Saturday, June 7th with 'Feinstein's Favorites.' A POPS trademark, Feinstein brings a wealth of rare musical gems and premieres from his personal treasure hunts from archives found in basements in Brooklyn, garages in Hollywood and the personal family collections of Peggy Lee, Leo Arnaud, Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle and more. Audiences of all ages will indulge in a priceless opportunity to hear these definitive performances of great songs in classic arrangements that carry a freshness and excitement in a one of a kind setting.