Leonard Cohen News

The McAninch Arts Center (MAC), located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, is pleased to announce its 2014 Grand Opening Season's Performance Series. The series is part of the MAC's 2014 Grand Opening season, marking the opening of the venue after a 14-month, $35 million renovation. The MAC's 2014 Grand Opening Season's Performance Series officially opens today, Feb. 8 with a performance by Grammy Award-winner 'Keb Mo'. Additional programming for the MAC, including the MAC's new Patio Stage summer season and the MAC's 2014-15 season, the first complete season in the newly renovated venue, will be announced in spring 2014.

Flashdance - The Musical, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will run at the Community Center Theater from tonight, February 4 - 9, 2014.

Broadway/TV star Linda Purl and the award winning Lee Lessack return to Harris Center in a cabaret show that spans the Atlantic, bridging romance from two of the world's most cosmopolitan cities- New York and Paris.

These two talented broads, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, who have been described as 'passionate, funny and sometimes raunchy' by The New York Times, are hitting the road with the Broad City Live Tour.

Singer-songwriter Mary Fahl, former lead singer of October Project, has teamed up with legendary producer John Lissauer, who has collaborated with some of the greatest musicians of our time (including producing Leonard Cohen's classic recording 'Hallelujah') for her long-awaited self-released album Love and Gravity, available February 11th. Fahl will perform selections from her new album, along with some old favorites, at The Cutting Room (44 E. 32nd St, New York, NY) on Monday, February 10th at 8PM. Tickets are $25.00 ADV/ $30.00 DOS and can be purchased by calling 212-691-1900 or by purchasing online at thecuttingroomnyc.com.

Lauren Fox, one of the more multifaceted and ambitious young stars of the New York cabaret scene, seems intent on redefining what is already a pretty open-ended art form. The recent run of her new duo show at Stage 72 with bass player Ritt Henn, Ghosts of Love: Songs from the Reel World of David Lynch (January 9, 18, 23, and 24) was the most recent example of Ms. Fox's unconventional approach to a 70-80 minute nightclub show and the result was operatic film noir--cabaret style.

Columbia Records and LegacyRecordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, announce therelease ofBilly Joel - The Complete AlbumsCollection, all ofthe artist's studio albums now Mastered For iTunes, available today on iTunes:iTunes.com/BillyJoel.

Like It Never Happened, the new album from Elizabeth & the Catapult, now available, as of today, January 21 on Scratchback Records with marketing and distribution provided by Thirty Tigers/RED.

Christ Church Cathedral is hosting A Few Acres of Snow, a free (donations happily accepted) community outreach event, on January 24, 2014 at 7:30pm. The evening of winter-themed readings and performances features songs, musings and tales by Canadian artists. The public is invited to this majestic building, located in the heart of downtown Montreal, transformed for the occasion into a cozy, live poetry lounge.

Paste is premiering an advance stream of Elizabeth & the Catapult's new album Like it Never Happened at LINK. The album is outJanuary 21 on Scratchback Records with marketing and distribution provided by Thirty Tigers/RED.

Flashdance - The Musical, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will run at the Community Center Theater from February 4 - 9, 2014, as part of California Musical Theatre's Broadway Sacramento series. With electrifying dance at its core, Flashdance - The Musical tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and a bar dancer by night with dreams of one day becoming a professional performer. When romance with her steel mill boss threatens to complicate her ambitions, Alex learns the meaning of love and its power to fuel the pursuit of her dream.

New York City has 54 BELOW, Broadway's living room, where big name acts do acclaimed intimate cabaret concerts. Since it's inception, I have longed for a similar experience in my neck of the woods. Producer Tyce Green, along with Houston's The Music Box Theater, is gifting Houston audiences with their own version of 54 BELOW's concerts with the "Straight From New York Concert Series." First, they brought Mary Testa to Houston, and now they are hosting Constantine Maroulis for four unforgettable, electric performances.

Flashdance - The Musical, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will run at the Community Center Theater from February 4 - 9, 2014, as part of California Musical Theatre's Broadway Sacramento series. With electrifying dance at its core, Flashdance - The Musical tells the inspiring and unforgettable story of Alex Owens, a Pittsburgh steel mill welder by day and a bar dancer by night with dreams of one day becoming a professional performer. When romance with her steel mill boss threatens to complicate her ambitions, Alex learns the meaning of love and its power to fuel the pursuit of her dream.

Renowned choreographer Mark Dendy's (Lincoln Center's Out of Doors and The Met's The Magic Flute) work "We Are The Ones" will be performed Sunday, January 12 during the 11:15 AM worship celebration at Middle Collegiate Church.

In this week's edition, we caught up with Jarrod Spector, who is starring as 'Barry Mann' in Beautiful- currently playing at the Stephen SondheimTheatre, with opening night set for January 12, 2014.

The highly successful Arts & Ideas program at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) continues into 2014 with an array of fascinating thinkers, writers and entertainers.

It seemed only natural that the bodacious British cabaret chanteuse Barb Jungr would bring a new show to New York that could be staged in the small theater environment of 59E59 (December 22-29). While Ms. Jungr's forays definitely are in the cabaret mold, they are also part theater-style performance art. In fact, Jungr is a crossover artist and genre hybrid on a number of levels. She's a jazzy and sultry-voice singer with a healthy dose of a pop sound. She's not a comedian but can be a cheeky raconteur bordering on stream of consciousness. She's a creative interpreter of song lyrics who can also honor the original intent of the songwriter at the same time. Barb Jungr has become an internationally-known performer who is also the quintessential cabaret artist.

Word Performances is a reading series of poetry, prose, fiction, memoir and comedy where words are the lead and music makes a cameo. The next Word Performances is set for Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 at 8:00pm at the indie performance space The Lost Church, located at 65 Capp Street near 16th and Mission in San Francisco, Calif. This is Word Performances' anniversary show with an all-star line up writers and performers.

Last December, after I posted my list of the Best Cabaret Performers of 2012, I followed up my original 'listmania' with a column that served as a way to include some 'honorable mentions,' basically a recognition of other memorable shows and performances of songs that were striking, unique, and/or original that year. The column received a positive response so I thought I'd wheel it out again this year. So as the hours tick away on 2013 and we anticipate the coming of a new year, here is an addendum to the 2013 New York Cabaret Performers of the Year--a totally random list of 30 Honorable Mentions of the 'Best' and 'Most' in Cabaret for 2013 . . . mainly because I can and it's fun. Enjoy and Happy New Year!