Kaye Ballard News

UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama presents the classic Broadway musical, Man of La Mancha, November 14 - 22, 2015. The show marks the first performance in the 'Care/Cure/Corruption' Series for the 2015-16 Drama season. The production also marks the department's return to the Irvine Barclay Theatre stage.

Former Palm Desert performer, Gretchen Reinhagen brings her acclaimed cabaret show "Both Sides Now" to Palm Desert's Arthur Newman Theatre on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 2 PM. Joining her on piano will be Andrew David Sotomayor.

Barry Kleinbort, director, composer, lyricist, and librettist shared his vast theatre knowledge with the 970am radio audience this past Sunday. Barry paid a visit to his longtime friend Jamie deRoy at Backstage with Peter LeDonne. This informative hour is available on Podcast at http://am970theanswer.com. Mr. Kleinbort is one of the select of creative people who are called upon to write special material for many cabaret and theatre performers.

NiCori Studios and Productions in association with the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center announces a new installment of the monthly concert series, Music at the Mansion, on Sunday, March 29, at 3pm. Performers include Gretchen Reinhagen, Christian Fabian and Rosemary Loar. Aleah Colon-Alfonso will be the Young Musician Moment.

Two added performances of LYPSINKA! THE BOXED SET have just been added to the schedule: Sunday, December 21 at 7 PM and Sunday, December 28 at 3 PM.

The Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) presented a second round of staged readings of George Eastman's 'HAPPY HOUR.' Gavin MacLeod and Michael Shaw reprised their roles from an earlier version. Director Ron Celona hopes to have a full production ready for CVRep's 2015-16 season.

After four years reviewing cabaret shows, more than two for BroadwayWorld, our lead New York cabaret critic Stephen Hanks will be giving up reviewing shows to be the BWW Cabaret section's Editor and lead feature writer. Here's how he became a cabaret reviewer, why he's giving it up, and who he's brought on board to make up BWW's new cabaret reviewing team.

Watching a singer like Celia Berk, who brings a heartwarming balance, a subtle good humor, originality, and a lot of affection to everything she sings, makes one realize the crucial role good instincts play in the self-conscious, self-absorbed world of cabaret. Right at the top of her recent debut run of shows titled You Can't Rush Spring (the title of her recently released excellent debut CD) at the Metropolitan Room, this New Yorker from the business world ingratiated herself with the audience by admitting she was fulfilling a lifelong dream. Berk had already built a following with a few excellent guest performances (most notably at this past October's Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center) and in this auspicious debut she proved she easily puts her personal stamp on an eclectic mix of songs. Such ability springs directly from who she is and not from someone's idea of who she should be.

The Annenberg Theatre kicked off its' starry 2014-2015 Cabaret Season with four of Broadway's most celebrated leading ladies - Donna McKechnie, Andrea McArdle, Maureen McGovern and Randy Graff - in an unforgettable evening of song and story to a "standing room only" crowd dotted with several other Broadway luminaries including Carol Channing, Kaye Ballard and composer David Zippel. Under the masterful musical direction of John McDaniel, this quintessential quartet delivered well beyond my already high expectations and to say the evening was "memorable" would be nothing short of an understatement.

Andrea McArdle talks with BroadwayWorld about 4 GIRLS 4: A CHRISTMAS TOGETHER , a star vehicle with Maureen McGovern, Donna McKechnie, and Faith Prince driving into Boston next week for one night at The Wilbur Theatre. A modernization of the original show which starred Rosemary Clooney, this version presents four fabulous musical stars who each take a turn performing their signature material and some music of the season, with Music Direction by John McDaniel.

Musicals Tonight! will present CARNIVAL!, running today, October 21-November 2, 2014.

Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre has announced their first fundraiser event for the 2014-15 season - A Magical Evening of Luminaries. This star-studded event will be held on Sunday, Nov 2nd at 7 PM. and will feature Luminaries from Broadway, Film and Television.

Musicals Tonight! will present CARNIVAL!, running October 21-November 2, 2014.

Skip E. Lowe, the comic, raconteur and perennial TV host whose weekly public access cable program has been airing in Los Angeles, New York and other major markets for more than 35 years--the longest in television history--and is generally credited as the inspiration for the Martin Short character “Jiminy Glick,” died in his home at Kingsley Manor Apartments in Hollywood on Monday, Sept. 22. He was 85 and had been suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments, though he never smoked, but blamed years of working as a comic in smoke-infested nightclubs. Lowe had conducted more than 6,000 interviews, often two a week, with guests that included Orson Welles and Bette Davis.

Broadway veteran and acclaimed voice teacher Lisa Rochelle returns to the stage in a celebration of the music of Stephen Sondheim at The Schoolhouse Theater in Croton Falls, NY tonight, September 20th at 4:00 p.m. Joining her are Broadway tenor Frank Mastrone and musical director Joshua Stephen Kartes. Saturday in September with Sondheim marks Ms. Rochelle's return to performing after spending the last 20 years devoted exclusively to her students.

Lexikat Artists and MB Artists in association with the multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) are thrilled to announce that the world premiere musical, SCARY MUSICAL The Musical, book by Richard Hochberg, music and lyrics by Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro, musical direction by Brent Crayon, orchestrations by Kenny Seymour and directed and choreographed by James J. Mellon will let YOU choose the killer! With three different alternate endings, this is the first theatre production that asks you to TURN ON YOUR PHONES during the show to vote!

Lexikat Artists and MB Artists in association with the multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) are thrilled to present a world premiere musical, SCARY MUSICAL The Musical, book by Richard Hochberg, music and lyrics by Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro, musical direction by Brent Crayon, orchestrations by Kenny Seymour and directed and choreographed by James J. Mellon. SCARY MUSICAL The Musical will begin previews tonight, September 12 at 8pm; will open today, September 19 at 8pm and run for eight weeks through Sunday, November 9, 2014 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.

Broadway veteran and acclaimed voice teacher Lisa Rochelle returns to the stage in a celebration of the music of Stephen Sondheim at The Schoolhouse Theater in Croton Falls, NY on September 20th at 4:00 p.m. Joining her are Broadway tenor Frank Mastrone and musical director Joshua Stephen Kartes. Saturday in September with Sondheim marks Ms. Rochelle's return to performing after spending the last 20 years devoted exclusively to her students.

Before there were cell phones, before there was Facebook, before there was even email... there were the BROADWAY BABES, Kaye Ballard, Liliane Montevecchi and Donna McKechnie. Now legends in their own lifetimes, these three stars are still strutting their stuff and doing it better than most performers less than half their age.

Lexikat Artists and MB Artists in association with the multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo ACE) are thrilled to present a world premiere musical, SCARY MUSICAL The Musical, book by Richard Hochberg, music and lyrics by Richard Hochberg and Michael Paternostro, musical direction by Brent Crayon, orchestrations by Kenny Seymour and directed and choreographed by James J. Mellon. SCARY MUSICAL The Musical will begin previews on Friday, September 12 at 8pm; will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run for eight weeks through Sunday, November 9, 2014 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.