Laurie Beechman News

Acclaimed writer/performer Candice Guardino premieres the outrageous Italian Bred Off-Broadway. With this 80 minute one-woman show, Candice slips in and out of characters as she cooks up a full meal of growing up Italian on Staten Island. Below, BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities, featuring Guardino, special celebrity guest Vincent Pastore, Tony Danza and more!

This week's feature is 'Seeing You There' by Adam Gwon. Tony-nominee Josh Young (Jesus Christ Superstar), who happens to be a co-founder of Cutting-Edge Composers, sang this at our first concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

Acclaimed writer/performer Candice Guardino premieres the outrageous ITALIAN BRED Off-Broadway. With this 80 minute one-woman show, Candice slips in and out of characters as she cooks up a full meal of growing up Italian on Staten Island. Below, BroadwayWorld has a first look at Guardino onstage with Vincent Pastore in a special cameo appearance on opening night!

The lovely Emily Swallow plays Flo in new work, NICE FISH, by Mark Rylance & Louis Jenkins, at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater through May 18. She took a moment off the stage to tell BroadwayWorld.com in Minneapolis about her current role, her experiences coast to coast and spending time ice fishing, tour guiding and working hard in Minneapolis and beyond.

Jonathan Whitton (Bistro & MAC Award Winner, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH) continues his critically lauded concert residency with guitarist Aaron Jones at Don't Tell Mama. BLACK SHEEP CARNIVAL will play once a month through 2013 with initial dates scheduled for Friday, May 3 & June 7 @ 7:30PM and Monday, July 8 & August 5 @ 7:30PM. Tickets are $10 plus a two-drink minimum.

BROADWAY SESSIONS is described as an evening of musical performances, games and open mic featuring a new Broadway guest each week. The show is created and hosted by Ben Cameron (Bway Wicked, Aida and Footloose) and features musical director Joshua Stephen Kartes on piano.

Fresh off the Addams Family national tour, Sara Gettelfinger appeared at Broadway Sessions to perform a combination of Stephen Sondheim's hits, 'What Can You Lose?' from the Madonna movie Dick Tracy, and 'Losing My Mind' from the Broadway musical Follies.

A host of Broadway stars gathered to record the music of Jonathan Reid Gealt for an album to benefit Broadway Impact, released today, April 30, 2013.

Acclaimed writer/performer Candice Guardino appears in the outrageous premiere of ITALIAN BRED Off-Broadway, produced by Bull By The Horns Productions & 22Q Entertainment LLC.

Stephen Hanks, BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Columnist has produced and will host Stephen's Angels, a cabaret variety show presented by ScoBar Entertainment and slated for the Iridium Jazz Club on May 14 at 10pm. Stephen's Angels will introduce audiences to six 'smart, sassy, sexy young women, whose singing is sublime.' Five of the six ladies are currently preparing summer or fall cabaret shows for the Metropolitan Room, and one will be launching a CD release show at the Laurie Beechman Theater in June.

Tonight, April 28 at 9:30pm, Krysta Rodriguez (Smash, The Addams Family), Lindsay Mendez (Dogfight, 35mm: A Musical Exhibition), and Barbara Walsh (Company) will join bright new composer and lyricist team Tim Rosser and Charlie Sohne at 54 Below.

When you're a cabaret reviewer on the evening show prowl between Monday night and Saturday evening (although not every night, thank goodness), you'd like to think that the God of Cabaret would make Sunday a day of rest. No such luck, since the weekend allows clubs to book shows as early as brunch time. I learned this again early this month when I felt compelled to attend three shows starring charming female singers-Corinna Sowers-Adler at Stage 72 (the Triad), Eva Kantor at the Laurie Beechman, and Lianne Marie Dobbs at the Metropolitan Room. I didn't break my personal Sunday record of four shows in one day set in late January (yes, I should be committed), but there was a two-hour break in this mix so it still turned out to be an 8-hour cabaret extravaganza. (Thank you, oh God of Cabaret, for press comps!) While it would have been sweet for the musical marathon to have been a clean sweep of excellent shows, as Meat Loaf might croon, 'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad.'

The spectacularly naughty musical parody MOCK YOUR WORLD is coming to New York's sizzling new bi-level comedy club and restaurant, The Stand. Beginning a seven-week run of hilarity and fun today, April 25th, the show satirizes the absurdity of our daily lives through witty songs and a naughty sense of humor.

Tonight, April 25th, Broadway Sessions will reunite cast members from the recent Broadway revival of Hair and more.

On May 6, Broadway will come together to support those affected by the Boston Marathon Tragedy. There will be two shows at 9:30pm & 11:30pm at The Laurie Beechman Theatre.

American writer and performer Peter Michael Marino performs his hit solo show Desperately Seeking The Exit - a comedic autopsy about his flop West End show Desperately Seeking Susan - The Musical, at Komedia Studio, Brighton on 7 and 14 May 2013, as part of this year's Brighton Fringe.

BROADWAY SESSIONS is described as an evening of musical performances, games and open mic featuring a new Broadway guest each week. The show is created and hosted by Ben Cameron (Bway Wicked, Aida and Footloose) and features musical director Joshua Stephen Kartes on piano. This Thursday, April 25th, Broadway Sessions will reunite cast members from the recent Broadway revival of Hair and more.

The Concerts for City Greens may be a Spring and Summer music extravaganza held in the lovely early evening air of Manhattan's East Side, but Broadway actress and cabaret headliner Raissa Katona Bennett, who is the concert series' founder and producer, is launching the 2013 season indoors-with a gala benefit concert featuring a star-studded lineup of performers, including quadruple-platinum songwriter and Today Show regular David Friedman as a special guest performer (with Bennett in photo, left). A celebratory retrospective of the program's first five seasons will be staged at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd Street, tonight April 23 at 7pm.

Starring four-time Tony nominated Tovah Feldshuh and others, SHOWSTOPPERS! Spring Awakenings celebrates the talents and achievements of the AEA Scholarship Program students. Joining the Broadway stars on the bill is scholarship success story, Stephen Mitchell Brown, making his Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde this month.

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced its cabaret, Broadway and comedy acts today, April 21-July 28, 2013, including: Lindsay Mendez and Michael Holland, Leslie Kritzer, Megan Hilty, Bridget Everett, Song of a Convalescent Ayn Rand, Paul Oakley Stovall and Brad Simmons, NYU Tisch Presents, Blake Pfeil, Storm Large, Nicole Henry, Erin Markey, Joey Arias, Taylor Mac, William Blake, Moments with Ravi, Natalie Joy Johnson, Champagne Jerry, Wau Wau Sisters, The Georges, Pam Ann: Cockpit, Missi Pyle, John Kelly, Tori Scott, Murray Hill and Vagabond Opera.