Lena Horne News

Today's top stories: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? begins previews tonight, and more!

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to two-time Tony nominee Alison Fraser about her 1996 album 'A New York Romance.' They also discuss Rusty Magee, James Taylor, Benjamin Dreyer, Bill Finn, 'In Trousers,' 'March of the Falsettos,' 'The Music Man,' Rebecca Luker, Oliver, Eydie Gormé, 'My Fair Lady,' Harry Nilsson, John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Trask, Bernadette Peters, 'Gigi,' Mary Testa, Annie Golden, Daisy Eagan, Laura Nyro, Linda Rondstadt, Michael John LaChiusa, 'First Daughter Suite,' Elvis Costello, Aaron Mark, Rammstein, Patty Darcy, and Lena Horne. Alison has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including 'The Secret Garden' and 'Romance/Romance,' both of which earned her Tony nominations. She also appeared alongside Patti LuPone in the 2008 revival of 'Gypsy.'

In celebration of Black History Month 2020, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas honored seven creative visionaries for their contributions in arts and entertainment. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors presented scrolls to Actress, Choreographer, and Television Director Debbie Allen; Actor Wren Brown; Actor and Artistic Director Ben Guillory; LA Poet Laureate Robin Coste Lewis; Actress, Author, and Activist Sheryl Lee Ralph; Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson; and Lula Washington Dance Theatre Founder and Director Lula Washington.

Popular actress Joan Ryan has a love of music and singing and it has informed a successful career on the concert stages. Her new show is all about life, laughter and her love of music.

The Los Angeles International Dance Festival (LAIDF) presents Debbie Allen's FREEZE FRAME, Lula Washington Dance Theatre and Chloe Arnold's Syncopated Ladies together onstage for one night only in 'Dancing For Life!' at The Orpheum Theater on Friday, April 24, 2020 at 7:30pm.

February is Black History month celebrating the richness of African American culture. Michelle Johnson, known as the Las Vegas First Lady of Jazz, will present Sankofa: a Celebration Concert of African American Music and History at Myron's Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center Feb. 23.

The Town Hall today revealed the first group of names slated to perform at the inaugural Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact event in New York City on Friday, February 28, 2020. The line-up includes Grammy-winning singer Leon Bridges, Grammy-nominated recording artist Rapsody, Grammy-nominated R&B singer Andra Day, and Grammy-nominated rapper BJ The Chicago Kid. The Town Hall also announced that activist Martin Luther King III will take the stage to pay tribute to The Lena Horne Prize and its focus on the intersection of arts and activism. See full list of names announced to participate below.

Today's subject Marva Hicks is currently living her theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre in the World Premiere Musical Gun & Powder. The production runs through February 23rd in Signature's MAX Theatre space. You'll be able to see my review of the show on Broadway World soon. Trust me it will be worth the wait.

National Geographic, with Fox 21 Studios and Imagine Television Studios, announced today that Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated musician Raphael Saadiq has been tapped to serve as executive music producer on GENIUS: ARETHA. Saadiq is responsible for producing, arranging and recording all of the original song elements within the series featuring live performances. The score will be written and produced by multi-Grammy Award-winner and Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard ('Harriet,' 'BlacKkKlansman').

National Geographic, with FOX 21 Studios and Imagine Television Studios, announced today that Grammy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated musician Raphael Saadiq has been tapped to serve as executive music producer on GENIUS: ARETHA. Saadiq is responsible for producing, arranging and recording all of the original song elements within the series featuring live performances. The score will be written and produced by multi-Grammy Award-winner and Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard ('Harriet,' 'BlacKkKlansman').

ALL ARTS has announced the premiere of a new theater series in partnership with En Garde Arts. Uncommon Voices will highlight the playwrights, directors and performers shaping tomorrow's theater.

Let getTV add some variety to your life on Saturday and Sunday nights at 10PM ET.

Lyric Theatre presents the joyful celebration of the lives of two centenarians in its 2020 season opener next month at the Plaza Theatre.

The Tony Award nominee continues to amaze with every new show he does and his latest nightclub act is just one more great show proving that Tony Yazbeck is a class act.

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director) -- the AUDELCO Award-Winning nonprofit, which provides a nurturing environment for playwrights and theatre creatives of diverse cultural backgrounds to develop new plays, presents some of the Best Plays From The Strawberry One-Act Festival at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St, NYC. Tickets are $40 General Admission; $35 for Seniors and Students with I.D. Box Office: 212-864-5400 or online at www.SymphonySpace.org (Youtube Promo https://youtu.be/PTCS2ugfRL0)

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma's 2020 season includes an eclectic mix of shows featuring stories of hope, love and family, Native peoples and reunions.

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director), a nonprofit theatre supporting playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, is holding the Launch Party for its annual Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 4:30pm at the Thalia Studios at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St, NYC. The evening will begin with a reception with food, drinks and a screening of the Video Diaries Project: a series of short films about the artists in the festival.

Do you love Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Doris Day, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole? Journey into a night club where every musical era is represented - swing, jazz, big band, lounge, Rat Pack, pop a?? and maybe even a few present day surprises.

Vincent Victoria has made a name for himself by recreating black female icons that loom large over our cultural imagination. Eartha Kitt like Lena Horne defied the beauty standards of her time to create her own definition of what a leading lady should look and act like.

The Town Hall today announced that GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter and visual artist Solange Knowles will be the first-ever recipient of the Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact, the first major entertainment award to be named after a woman of color, honoring excellence at the intersection of arts and activism. Knowles will be honored at a special event which will be held at The Town Hall in New York City on Friday, February 28, 2020 during which she will receive $100,000, which will be directed to Project Row Houses, a Houston-based nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people and enriching communities through engagement, art and direct action. The organization, founded in 1993, is a catalyst for transforming community through the celebration of art and African-American history and culture.