Laurie Beechman News

The Stonewall Inn, located at 53 Christopher Street in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village, is thrilled to announce the fifth season of Stonewall Sensation, a singing competition in the spirit of TV's "American Idol." Auditions will be held in front of a live audience on Wednesday, February 17th, 2010. At the end of the show on February 17th, the top fifteen contestants, who will determined by the judges and audience enthusiasm, will be announced and invited to participate in the competition.

While the Northern East Coast of the U.S. was hammered with blizzard-like conditions last week, Broadway vet Kevin Kern was busy with the launch of THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, the concert revue he co-stars in, which compiles many of the prolific composer's musical hits that are in turn interpreted by six talented, well-known performers of the Broadway stage. Luckily, he and the extraordinary cast will get the chance to thaw out a little bit when the show pays a visit to the Orange County Performing Arts Center for a limited, one-week engagement on February 16 through 21. Kern-whose theater credits include Broadway's Wicked, The Wedding Singer, and Les Miserables, as well as the pre-Broadway runs of 9 to 5: The Musical and Next to Normal-recently took some time in between performances to talk with BroadwayWorld/Costa Mesa to discuss the concert, as well as his early work in the original casts of Altar Boyz and 9 to 5 (in the latter, he divulges his early star-struck shyness towards a certain Ms. Parton). He also breaks the exclusive news (to us first!) about his upcoming involvement in a hit Broadway musical that's about to cross the pond over to London!

Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter and Tim Di Pasqua will perform their award-winning show, 'Southern Comfort: A Down-Home Country Music Jamboree!,' on Friday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for the Arts, 226 S. State St. in Dover, Delaware. The trio will sing classic and contemporary hits by Glen Campbell, Patsy Cline, Vince Gill, George Jones, Alan Jackson, k.d. lang, Dolly Parton, Randy Travis and Hank Williams.

Musical theater writers Joe Iconis and Michael R. Jackson present a stripped down night of their incendiary tunes. No rock band, no cast of thousands- just the boys and a piano and their music.

Jim Caruso's Cast Party is proud to announce that Natalie Weiss will make her second concert appearance within the month at Birdland on Monday, February 15 at 7pm, by popular demand. (Her upcoming January date sold out in record time!) This concert is part of the long-running Broadway at Birdland concert series.

Tonight, Friday, February 12th THE AFTER PARTY is thrilled to welcome Emmy Award Winner and Broadway's KEVIN MEANEY plus Broadway's NIKI SCALERA & SUSIE MOSHER. Don't miss it! Seating is first come, first served. All are invited and encouraged to arrive EARLY for this event and wait for the doors to open. Doors open at 10:30pm. Show at 11pm.

Watch your skinny backs Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho and John Leguizamo --ERICA WATSON is coming to claim her crown as Queen of the theater/standup hybrid show with the New York Premiere of FAT BITCH! After workshops in NYC and Chicago, this new solo show written and performed by Watson will run February 11- 25, 2010 at The Laurie Beechman Theater.

Soap stars Bree Williamson, Jason Tam, Chris Stack and BethAnn Bonner will be returning to the the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York on Tuesday February 9th and Saturday February 13th in the new musical comedy, 'Queen Bea: A Soapsical!' which had its sold-out concert premiere last November.

SONGS FOR HAITI A Benefit for Haiti Earthquake Relief will be held at 4pm, on Saturday, Feb. 6th at The Laurie Beechman Theatre.

Tonight, Friday, February 5th THE AFTER PARTY is thrilled to welcome from TV's 'MadTV' & Broadway's Wicked NICOLE PARKER. Plus singing Sensation NATALIE WEISS.

Legendary comedian JOAN RIVERS will continue to make The Laurie Beechman Theatre in Times Square her home base this fall.

The March-April public programming schedule at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will feature controversial films, engaging performances, family-friendly fare, and compelling discussions.

If It Only Even Runs A Minute, an evening of rare and inspiring songs, anecdotes, and photos from Broadway musicals that may not have been fully-appreciated the first time around, played the Laurie Beechman Theatre on Sunday, January 31. BroadwayWorld was on hand to capture performances by a starry cast that included Heidi Blickenstaff, Nancy Anderson, Lisa Brescia, Nick Blaemire, Megan Sikora, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Autumn Hurlbert, Jaclyn Huberman, Jason Sweettooth Williams, Brian Lowdermilk, Jay Aubrey Jones, Joe Iconis, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Adam Gwon, Katrina Rose Dideriksen, Leslie McDonel, Lisa Brescia, MK Lawson, Marcy McGwigan, Mary Jo Mecca, Kevin Michael Murphy, Megan Sikora, Melanie Field, Michael Kadin Craig, and more.

The American Theatre Wing has announced the recipients of the 2010 Jonathan Larson® Grants. The grants, given annually to honor emerging composers, lyricists and book writers, help to continue Tony Award®-winning composer Jonathan Larson's dream of infusing musical theatre with a contemporary, joyful, urban vitality. After considering 165 applications, Peter Lerman, Daniel Mate, and songwriting team Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (book & lyrics) were selected to receive the prestigious grants, totaling $10,000. They will be honored at a presentation on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at Touch (240 W52 St.) in New York City.

Bakerloo Theatre Project's production of Hamlet, What Dreams May Come, created by award-winning playwright Adam Mathias (See Rock City & Other Destinations) and William Addis, will run at the West End Theater at 286 West 86th Street on February 6 at 3pm and February 7 and 8th at 8pm.

How do you become a producer of concerts and musicals by age 23? Just ask Jennifer Ashley Tepper, who has gathered some of the best talent in New York for a concert at the Laurie Beechman on Sunday night.

If It Only Runs A Minute will play the Laurie Beechman Theater on January 31st at 9:30pm.

SONGS FOR HAITI A Benefit for Haiti Earthquake Relief will be held at 4pm, on Saturday, Feb. 6th at The Laurie Beechman Theatre.

KAREN FINLEY, the most controversial woman in performance today, will premiere her latest work THE JACKIE LOOK beginning January 23, 2010 at The Laurie Beechman Theater. Originally developed as a site-specific multimedia production for Country Club, the initial September 2009 run was cancelled when the venue suddenly and unexpectedly shuttered. Opening night is slated for January 30, 2010.

Watch your skinny backs Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho and John Leguizamo --ERICA WATSON is coming to claim her crown as Queen of the theater/standup hybrid show with the New York Premiere of FAT BITCH! After workshops in NYC and Chicago, this new solo show written and performed by Watson will run February 11- 25, 2010 at The Laurie Beechman Theater.