Birdland was abuzz this past Thursday night in celebration of Barbara Fasano's fresh-off-the-press CD, Busy Being Free. Industry types table-hopped among civilians--they know a good thing when they hear it--as anticipation swelled. Gift wrapped in tapestry blue, Fasano was accompanied by three of the six excellent musicians on her recording: Musical Director/Pianist/Arranger John di Martino, with Boris Koslov on bass, and Vince Cherico on drums.
Happy Birthday, Ira Gershwin! A lyricist, Gershwin collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century. With George he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as 'I Got Rhythm', 'Embraceable You', 'The Man I Love' and 'Someone to Watch Over Me'. He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess. The success the brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. However, his mastery of songwriting continued after the early death of George. He wrote additional hit songs with composers Jerome Kern ('Long Ago (and Far Away)'), Kurt Weill and Harold Arlen.
Breaking all box office records in its day, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, currently in previews at the Broadway Theater and scheduled to open December 20th, has thrilled audiences on Broadway and around the world for more than half a century. Generations have embraced Tevye's story and such unforgettable songs as 'Tradition,' 'If I were a Rich Man,' and 'Sunrise, Sunset.' Now as this beloved musical returns to the New York stage, the Museum at Eldridge Street welcomes the show's legendary lyricist: Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize winner, Sheldon Harnick.
Migenes' performance was like taking a step back to the 1930s, watching the remarkable Lotte Lenya performing her husband's songs during the time he collaborated with Bertolt Brecht to create atonal melodies meant to shock audiences into realizing the masses were, like today, being controlled by the wealthy, upper 1% of society. "Lotte Lenya herself came backstage after I performed Mahagonny and gave me a rose," Migenes says. "That is one of my most precious memories." No doubt the two women were connected to their souls, given how Migenes interpreted her songs.
For the holiday season, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre presents three classic one-acts by three celebrated writers, LOVE STORIES, tonight, November 25 - December 20, 2015.
OkayBetterBest, a new musical written by Rhonda Kess and Michael Weems and directed by Hunter Foster, will be presented the Ars Nova Loft (511 West 54th Street) as a special industry reading on Thursday, December 3 at 3:00 PM and Friday, December 4 at 3:00 PM. The cast includes Jason Gotay (Bring It On: The Musical, Spider-Man Turn off the Dark), George Salazar (Godspell, Here Lies Love), Julia Mattison (Godspell), Elena Ricardo (Mamma Mia!), Christina Sajous (Holler If Ya Hear Me, American Idiot), Justin Matthew Sargent (Bonnie & Clyde, Rock of Ages) and Remy Zaken (Spring Awakening). Industry members interested in attending should email OkayBetterBest@gmail.com and indicate their affiliation.
The New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy Award nominated writer Rolin Jones and Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winning Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong's new play with music THESE PAPER BULLETS!, directed by Jackson Gay, begins tonight, November 20, at Atlantic Theater Company.
After successful shows at Judy's Chelsea and Don't Tell Mama, Jennifer Roberts is back to celebrate her love for Manhattan with her show at New York hotspot Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th St., New York, NY) on November 20, 2015 at 7 p.m.
Celebrated mezzo-soprano Julia Migenes (Diva on the Verge) returns to the Odyssey Theatre with her newest show, once again directed by Academy Award-nominated director Peter Medak. JULIA MIGENES SINGS KURT WEILL opens at the Odyssey Theatre tonight, November 18, running Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. for five weeks through December 19. BroadwayWorld has a look at Migenes in performance below!
Celebrated mezzo-soprano Julia Migenes (Diva on the Verge) returns to the Odyssey Theatre with her newest show, once again directed by Academy Award-nominated director Peter Medak. Julia Migenes Sings Kurt Weill opens at the Odyssey Theatre on November 18, running Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. for five weeks through December 19. BroadwayWorld has a first look at Migenes in performance below!
(WASHINGTON)-Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced complete details and casting for the fourth season of the American Opera Initiative, its comprehensive commissioning program that brings contemporary American stories to the stage while fostering the talents of rising American composers and librettists. Three pairings of new opera composers and librettists- Sarah Hutchings and Mark Sonnenblick (Twenty Minutes or Less), David Clay Mettens and Joshua McGuire (Alexandra), and Christopher Weiss and John de los Santos (Service Provider)-will premiere new one-act operas, each based on a contemporary American story, in semi-staged concert performances on December 2, 2015 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. The 7 p.m. performance is sold out; a second performance at 9 p.m. has just been added to accommodate demand.
The life and work of Will Holt, known for his immeasurable contributions to folk music and the musical theatre, will be celebrated by the York Theatre Company.
Grammy-nominated, internationally acclaimed artist Ute Lemper's collaboration with renowned best-selling author Paulo Coelho, The 9 Secrets, is set for release on February 12 via Steinway & Sons.
Tony Award-winning Broadway starlet Annaleigh Ashford -- currently receiving raves in SYLVIA, and also celebrated for her work on stage in YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, KINKY BOOTS, RENT, WICKED and LEGALLY BLONDE, as well as on the hit Showtime television series MASTERS OF SEX - celebrates the release of her debut album a LIVE recording of her critically acclaimed cabaret show LOST IN THE STARS, which debuted last December at 54 Below and has since traveled to select cities across the country.
The Glimmerglass Festival, which presents four mainstage productions of opera and musical theater every summer, rounds out each season with a schedule of guest appearances, concerts, public master classes, youth opera performances and more.
The Glimmerglass Festival, which presents four mainstage productions of opera and musical theater every summer, rounds out each season with a schedule of guest appearances, concerts, public master classes, youth opera performances and more.
Tony Award-winning Broadway starlet Annaleigh Ashford -- currently receiving raves in SYLVIA, and also celebrated for her work on stage in YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, KINKY BOOTS, RENT, WICKED and LEGALLY BLONDE, as well as on the hit Showtime television series MASTERS OF SEX - celebrates the release of her debut album a LIVE recording of her critically acclaimed cabaret show LOST IN THE STARS, which debuted last December at 54 Below and has since traveled to select cities across the country.
