Liza Minnelli News

ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY, the platinum-selling singer and songwriter, will celebrate the release of her new CD AT LAST with two weeks of concerts at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (60th Street and Broadway) from February 17 to March 1. She will be joined by Ted Rosenthal on piano, Jay Leonhart on bass and Victor Lewis on drums. Shows are at 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM. Please call (212) 258-9595 for tickets or visit jalc.org. On Monday, February 16 at 6:00 PM, join Ann at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center (1972 Broadway at 66th Street) for their Cool Mondays Jazz series. She will perform a few selections from the new recording and sign CDs.

Liza Minnelli and her Broadway co-stars, Johnny Rodgers, Cortes Alexander, Jim Caruso and Tiger Martina have found a happy home on the Billboard charts. Billboard is reporting that the cast cd has debuted at the number 3 spot on the Cast Album chart listing. The daughter of Judy Garland most recently charted in July 1996 with 'Gently,' which peaked at No. 156 on The Billboard 200.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College welcomes legendary composer/performer and 2008 Theater Hall of Fame inductee Marvin Hamlisch for an elegant evening of unforgettable music on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 8pm. Mr. Hamlisch holds the distinction of being one of only twelve people to win all four major US performing awards (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) and one of only two to have won all four of those plus a Pulitzer Prize (the other being Richard Rogers).

Backstage with Alan Campbell, offered on Thursday, February 12th 7:00-8:00pm, takes enrollees backstage with Alan Campbell, Tony-Nominated Actor, and star of 'Sunset Boulevard' on Broadway with Glenn Close, and the hit musical 'Contact' at Lincoln Center. Alan has numerous other stage and screen credits such as long-runs in TV's 'Jake and the Fat Man' and 'Three's a Crowd.' Alan will share his 'backstage Broadway stories,' helps us understand 'the business of show business,' and relate an insider's view on how a Big Broadway Musical gets from the first reading all the way to Opening Night. As an added bonus, Alan will give you a 'behind the scenes' look at the production of 'Doubt' that he's starring in for Gulfshore Playhouse. Enrollment is $20 per person and $10 for students.

AN EVENING AT LA CAGE has taken its last curtsy after a 24 year run. The cast, led by Frank Marino, were informed of this unfortunate closing after Monday's performance. There are rumors that the producers are trying to negotiate for a TV show and hopes to reopen the show in the future. La Cage is the fourth longest running show on the Vegas strip. When An Evening at La Cage opened at the Riviera in 1985, skeptic casino owners gave producer Norbert Aleman and his young star, female impersonator Frank Marino, three months to prove themselves. Obviously, they did a good job of doing just that. It's 20 years later and La Cage and Frank Marino have held up very well - of course, for Marino, a little cosmetic surgery hasn't hurt.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch will lead the New York Philharmonic in New York Moments, a concert featuring iconic musical moments from Broadway and film, with stars from the stage and screen (in alphabetical order): Ashley Brown, who originated the title role in Mary Poppins on Broadway; Maria Friedman, who played Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Marian in The Woman in White in London; Joel Grey, whose numerous starring roles have included the famous M.C. in Cabaret, on Broadway and in the film; Jennifer Holliday, one of the original Dreamgirls; Liza Minnelli, last seen on Broadway in Liza's at The Palace; Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, stars of the current Lincoln Center Theater production of South Pacific; and 15-year-old up-and-coming singer, Nikki Yanofsky. The concert will take place Monday, April 20, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. All except Mr. Hamlisch and Ms. O'Hara are making their New York Philharmonic debuts.

The Town Hall (Executive and Artistic Director Lawrence Zucker) is pleased to announce that the ninth season of the Broadway by the YearTM series will kick off with Broadway Musicals of 1924 on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd.

Famed gossip columnist Liz Smith is always a hero to the world of theatre and the arts, and on her weekend column on the 'Woman On The Web' news site Smith spotlighted the recent releases by entertainment icons Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli.

SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that Liza Minnelli will guest host Playing Favorites on Siriusly Sinatra, the SIRIUS XM channel that plays music by Frank Sinatra and the greatest singers of all time. Playing Favorites featuring Liza Minnelli will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 75 and XM channel 73 on Monday, February 9 at 6 pm ET.

Sandra Bernhard (I'm Still Here... Damn It!, TV's 'Rosanne'), Florence Henderson (Fanny, TV's 'The Brady Bunch'), Maureen McGovern (Little Women, Nine) and Ron Palillo (Hot L. Baltimore, TV's 'Welcome Back, Kotter') will be performing at Broadway Backwards this year, joining previously announced performers Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu, All Shook Up), Tony Award nominee Sally Mayes (She Loves Me), Kate Reinders (Good Vibrations, Gypsy; one-half of TASTiSKANK) and Tony Yazbeck (Gypsy, A Chorus Line), Mario Cantone (Assassins, TV's 'Sex and the City'), Alan Cumming (Cabaret), Gina Gershon (Cabaret, Showgirls), Whoopi Goldberg (Producer: Thoroughly Modern Millie, TV's 'The View'), Aaron Lazar (Les Mis?rables), Megan Mullally (Young Frankenstein, How to Succeed in Business..., TV's 'Will & Grace'), Jai Rodriguez (TV's 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' Rent), Christopher Sieber (Spamalot), John Tartaglia (Avenue Q), Marty Thomas (Xanadu); and TV's 'Ugly Betty' stars Becki Newton and Michael Urie. Joining the roundup on Monday, February 9, 2009 as Host will be Jim Caruso, who recently appeared alongside Liza Minnelli in Liza's At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. And for the past six years, Jim Caruso has hosted a Monday night showbiz bash called 'Jim Caruso's Cast Party,' which was honored with a New York Nightlife Award, as was his Broadway at Birdland concert series.

Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu, All Shook Up), Tony Award nominee Sally Mayes (She Loves Me), Kate Reinders (Good Vibrations, Gypsy; one-half of TASTiSKANK) and Tony Yazbeck (Gypsy, A Chorus Line) have just been added to the roster of performers to be featured in Broadway Backwards 4, joining previously announced performers Mario Cantone (Assassins, TV's 'Sex and the City'), Alan Cumming (Cabaret), Gina Gershon (Cabaret, Showgirls), Whoopi Goldberg (Producer: Thoroughly Modern Millie, TV's 'The View'), Aaron Lazar (Les Mis?rables), Megan Mullally (Young Frankenstein, How to Succeed in Business..., TV's 'Will & Grace'), Jai Rodriguez (TV's 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' Rent), Christopher Sieber (Spamalot), John Tartaglia (Avenue Q), Marty Thomas (Xanadu); and TV's 'Ugly Betty' stars Becki Newton and Michael Urie.

SIRIUS XM Radio announced today that Liza Minnelli will guest host Playing Favorites on Siriusly Sinatra, the SIRIUS XM channel that plays music by Frank Sinatra and the greatest singers of all time. Playing Favorites featuring Liza Minnelli will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 75 and XM channel 73 on Monday, February 9 at 6 pm ET.

On February 7, 2009, the Lyric Stage League presents CABARET '09: THE LEGENDARY DAYS OF LAS VEGAS, the annual fund-raising event for Lyric Stage. Marilyn Maye, fresh from her latest New York City triumph, will headline this year's gala at the beautiful Four Seasons Resort and Club. Billy Stritch, direct from his engagement with Liza Minnelli on Broadway at the Palace Theater, will accompany Ms. Maye. Call 972-594-1904 for tickets or more info. Marilyn Maye was one of the brightest lights of television, supper clubs and the recording industry during the 1960's. She became a fixture on THE TONIGHT SHOW with Steve Allen and Johnny Carson and enjoyed a great recording career with RCA. After an absence of over 15 years, she made a triumphant return to New York City last fall. THE NEW YORK OBSERVER's Rex Reed proclaimed 'This woman has everything. She can belt, and she can sing ballads with the kind of warmth that makes your heart smile. She has a theatrical flair that captivates and enthralls, and jazz-spiced chops that can reach notes most singers one-third her age can't even hit in their dreams. The standing ovations were unlike anything I've seen since the halcyon days of Lena Horne at the Waldorf. She's the real deal.'

Paul Szilard Productions, Inc. in association with ATTRACT Productions (Greece) is presenting the Martha Graham Dance Company in a special engagement at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South, Tuesday, May 12th-Saturday, May 16th. The acclaimed company will be performing two programs of Grahams' work and on Thursday, May 14th there will be a special Gala honoring Paul Szilard (guests & program tba).

Friends In Deed will present a legendary trio as Charles Busch, Whoopi Goldberg and Lypsinka star in the first-ever New York presentation of the infamous Broadway-play-that-wasn't, LEGENDS!. Written by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner James Kirkwood (A Chorus Line), the play will be presented in a special One Night Only staged reading benefit on Monday evening, March 23 at 8PM at Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street).

Entertainer, author and pop-culture expert Charles Phoenix will host a tribute to Bob Baker in honor of the 85th birthday of the legendary puppeteer. 'Charles Phoenix presents... Bob Baker's 85th Birthday Party and Puppet Show Celebration' will take place on February 6 and 7 at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Phoenix will use slides and film clips to share the story of Bob's colorful life with the audience prior to a performance of Something to Crow About, Baker's classic 1957 barnyard-themed musical starring dozens of vintage marionettes. The evening will wind up with a performance by the puppet master himself, followed by birthday cake and ice cream in the festive party room. 'Bob Baker is a local treasure,' says Phoenix, who has been a fan for years and always included the Bob Baker Marionette Theater as a stop on his popular 'Disneyland' tours of Downtown Los Angeles. 'During Bob's seventy five plus-year career, he has performed for thousands, and countless children are still being delighted by his shows. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is a Los Angeles landmark and the country's oldest puppet theater, not to mention a living museum of marionettes.'

New York critics and theatre audiences fell under the spell of Liza Minnelli's unmatchable magic when she returned to Broadway's legendary Palace Theatre and played a recent sell-out engagement. Now, music lovers around the world will get the same chance as 'Liza's at the Palace...' as the new original cast recording of her incomparable show was released on February 3rd, 2009. Liza Minnelli kicked-off the new release with a 'singing & signing' event at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble store!

The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located within The West Bank Caf? (407 West 42nd St.), is pleased to present Bistro, MAC and Nightlife Award winner Brandon Cutrell in Brandon Cutrell & Co-Horts, Brandon's new cabaret showcase. Brandon Cutrell & Co-Horts, which will be emceed by Brandon Cutrell, will feature five individuals, each of whom will present a fifteen minute, three song set. From original works to contemporary musical theatre to standards from the Great American Songbook, this show will provide audience members with the opportunity to meet some of New York's youngest, but most promising up-and-coming talent. Brandon Cutrell & Co-Horts will occur on Thursday, February 5th, at 9:30pm and Friday, February 13th at 8pm at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. There is a $20 cover charge and a $15 food and drink minimum for this event.

Experience Liza's At The Palace with this specially priced 2-CD set. Now Available In Stores And Online! This specially priced 2-CD set celebrates Liza Minnelli's triumphant return to Broadway's famed Palace Theatre. Helmed by legendary Producer Phil Ramone, this Original Cast Recordings captures Liza at her inspired best, performing her signature hits and personal favorites.

Stormy Weather is a powerhouse of an evening. If you?re like me, it will make you want to run out and get the DVD of Ms. Horne?s Tony Award winning, one woman Broadway show, Lena: The Lady and Her Music, so you can re-discover the magic of this courageous survivor...