Lauren Stanford News

NiCori Studios and Productions announces a new installment of the monthly concert series, 'Music at the Mansion', on Sunday, August 28, at 3pm at the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center in Bloomfield, NJ.  Performers include Lauren Stanford, Sean Harkness and Marieann Meringolo.  The Young Musician Moment will be Alex DiFilippo.

the 2016 Cabaret Convention returns to the Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, from Tuesday, October 18th through Friday, October 21st  to present four different music programs. More than seventy singers are scheduled to appear, and the productions include specific tributes to the songs of Stephen Sondheim, the lyrics of Sheldon Harnick, the melodies of Charles Strouse, and the repertoire of legendary jazz artist Sylvia Syms.

The Broadway Artists Connection (BAC) presents its ninth Broadway Artists & Friends Open Mic & Mingle hosted by 6 time Broadway Veteran Heather Parcells (TUCK EVERLASTING) Monday, June 13th 7pm (doors open at 6pm). The evening will be kicked off by a stellar line up of Broadway pros followed by selected 'aspiring artists & talented friends' at the legendary Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W 42nd Street.

MORE THAN YOU KNOW is a dramatic recreation of Helen Morgan's final night in residency at New York City's Simplon Club in 1932. Written and performed by Lauren Stanford, the play contains songs the chanteuse made famous, including Jerome Kern's 'Bill' and 'Why Was I Born.

Lauren Stanford portrays Helen Morgan in More Than You Know on May 22nd and June 5th, 2016 at 7:00pm at The Triad, 158 W 72nd Street.

The art of cabaret lost its Queen almost a year ago when the Julie Wilson died on April 5 at age 90. There will likely be a number of tributes to Ms. Wilson throughout this year and a big one is happening on March 17 at 7 pm at the Metropolitan Room, where Joseph Macchia's Cabaret Cares/Help Is On the Way charity will pay tribute to the cabaret legend with a star-studded variety show that will also raise money for the organization that supports children living with HIV/AIDS. 

James Rich and Lauren Stanford at The Metropolitan Room on January 17th, 2016 at 4pm. James Rich and Lauren Stanford combine forces on for an afternoon of eclectic music at The Metropolitan Room. She'll do a set. He'll do a set.

For the third night of this year's Cabaret Convention at Town Hall, the uber-enthusiastic Karen Mason hosted Life Is a Cabaret (Directed by Barry Kleinbort) in celebration of long time collaborators, composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb. Introduced to each other by their mutual music publisher in 1962, the team's first Broadway show was 1965's Flora the Red Menace in which Liza Minnelli made her Broadway debut and with which the three began a long association. Their last together (Kander is alive and hopefully writing), was 2015's The Visit starring Chita Rivera, a production Ebb (who died in 2004) unfortunately didn't live to see. Kander and Ebb's best known musicals are Cabaret and Chicago, both of which seem to run forever on popular appeal, but they wrote many others, a wide selection of which were represented at Thursday night's show.

The 3rd night of The 26th New YOrk Cabaret Convention at The Town Hall was hosted by Karen Mason and directed by Barry Kleinbort. BroadwayWorld was there for performances by Karen Mason, Sandy Stewart, Bill Charlap, Karen Ziemba, Stearns Matthews, Amra-Faye Wright, Robert Creighton, Sally Mayes, Lina Koutrakos, Jim Brochu, Steve Ross, Lauren Stanford, T. Oliver Reid, Penny Fuller & Marilyn Maye.

 Minda Larsen eeked out a MetroStar win last night, finishing on top of a strong and tightly matched Top Five line-up in a spellbinding contest finale at the Metropolitan Room.  To win the 8th annual MetroStar Talent Challenge Larsen captivated the judges with her confessional and inspirational story of having competed in the contest three other times (unsuccessfully) and dramatically changing her attitude about her work this time around.  The attitude adjustment succeeded as Larsen soared in the finale, beating out the delightful everyman Thomas Dieter (1st runner-up) and gloriously-voiced Josephine Sanges (2nd runner up). The two other Top 5 finalists were Lisa Remick and April Leonhard.

 In nail-bitingly close voting Monday night, the MetroStar Talent Challenge bid farewell to two audience favorites in a hotly contested semi-final round.  Let go by the jury were the contest's popular 9th grader Josephine Bianco and the veteran piano bar performer Sheree Sano.

It's an undeniable, outstanding, and extraordinary musical milestone, to be sure: 2015 marks the thirtieth anniversary of The Mabel Mercer Foundation! Not only has the organization survived the ongoing and vastly fluctuating public tastes in music, lyrics, and performers, it has proliferated and burgeoned in its three decades of commitment to the classic, "Great Popular Songbook" -- both past and present.

The 2015 'MetroStar Talent Challenge' is extending its deadline for applications to July 4 and adding new mentoring to help competitors up their games during the 7-week contest. The eighth annual edition of the summer tradition runs for seven consecutive Mondays, from July 6 through August 17.  All contestants must certify that they will be available to compete throughout the jury-and audience-voted, elimination-round competition.

The 8th annual 'MetroStar Talent Challenge' gets under way on Monday July 6 at 7pm. The summer tradition, in which singers of different ages, styles and backgrounds are challenged to raise their standards and push themselves artistically, 'MetroStar' runs eight consecutive Mondays through August 24 at the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street. Applications are now being accepted through July 1.

On Monday, April 27th, the Metropolitan Room was packed with Broadway & Aspiring artists who shared new works and cheered each other on at the Broadway Artists & Friends Open Mic & Mingle. Hosted by JERSEY BOYS' Peter Gregus, audiences were treated to an up close look at singers trying out new songs & sharing their stories. The evening was intimate, joyful and full of opportunities for everyone involved to make invaluable industry connections. Scroll down for photos!

At a ceremony held last night in New York, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs announced the winners of the 2015 MAC Awards. The show was hosted by Karen Mason, with musical direction by Barry Levitt, and was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts.

Lauren Stanford (who won the MetroStar Singing Competition at the Metropolitan Room in 2013) has convincingly done herself up to look like the legendary Helen Morgan in her new show, More Than You Know, which she introduced at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in late October and brought to 54 Below this past Friday night. Stanford's presentation is 2/3 singing and 1/3 biography. Research is evident; specific adds color. The use of framed photographs and several conjectured telephone calls is effective (the actress listens). Vocals don't emulate Morgan's controlled vibrato, but Stanford has sufficient musical feel for the period to make mimicry unnecessary. Her uneven contralto can add feeling to a song rather than diminishing it. There are, however, other issues.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Lauren Stanford in 'More Than You Know' tonight, March 20th, 2015 at 9:30pm

Coming up this week, 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, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs will present the 29th Annual MAC Awards on Thursday, March 26st, at 7:30pm, at B.B King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.