Lotte Lenya News

The sights and sounds of Italy alight in Arlington's Crystal City as Arena Stage presents the lush and soaring The Light in the Piazza, directed by Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith.

THE COTERIE, an up-and-coming downtown opera-theater company, will present a benefit concert The Coterie Un/Plugged, Volume One: Lauren Worsham and Friends at the Canal Room on February 22nd, 2010 at 7:30PM.

THE COTERIE, an up-and-coming downtown opera-theater company, will present a benefit concert The Coterie Un/Plugged, Volume One: Lauren Worsham and Friends at the Canal Room on February 22nd at 7:30PM. The evening will feature Lauren Worsham (Candide, Spelling Bee) and special guests including Tony nominee Barbara Walsh (Falsettos, Company), Theresa McCarthy (Floyd Collins, Titanic) and Andrew Nolan (Wooster Group's La Didone).

THE COTERIE, an up-and-coming downtown opera-theater company, will present a benefit concert The Coterie Un/Plugged, Volume One: Lauren Worsham and Friends at the Canal Room on February 22nd, 2010 at 7:30PM. Tickets are $20 in advance, $30 at the door.

The Coterie, a downtown opera-theater company devoted to developing contemporary music theater works, will present a reading of the one-act comic opera PRAIRIE DOGS by Rachel Peters (Stretch (a fantasia)) and Royce Vavrek (Dog Days) on Monday, January 18th, at 7pm at A.R.T./New York (520 8th Avenue, New York City).

The Coterie, a downtown opera-theater company devoted to developing contemporary music theater works, will present a reading of the one-act comic opera PRAIRIE DOGS by Rachel Peters (Stretch (a fantasia)) and Royce Vavrek (Dog Days) on Monday, January 18th, at 7pm at A.R.T./New York (520 8th Avenue, New York City).

Liza Colon-Zayas, Sol Frieder and Elaine Kussack will join Sam Waterston in the world premiere of Athol Fugard's Have You Seen Us?, taking place at Long Wharf Theatre from Nov. 24 to Dec. 20.

Liza Colon-Zayas, Sol Frieder and Elaine Kussack will join Sam Waterston in the world premiere of Athol Fugard's Have You Seen Us?, taking place at Long Wharf Theatre from Nov. 24 to Dec. 20.

The New York Philharmonic will present SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert on March 15 and Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. This celebration of the 80th birthday of the great Broadway and film composer/lyricist will include his most enduring orchestral music and songs - performed, in some cases, by the stars of the original Broadway cast productions - in addition to rarely-heard material. Joining the celebration will be (in alphabetical order) Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Jason Danieley, Nathan Gunn, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, and others to be announced, including surprise guests. Paul Gemignani, Mr. Sondheim's longtime collaborator, will conduct the New York Philharmonic; Lonny Price is the director; and Mr. Price and Matt Cowart are the producers.

Though Julie Wilson was certainly not the first and by all means not the last great singer to have her heart stomped upon by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's 'Surabaya Johnny,' there is no one I can name more deserving to claim it as their signature song.  (Okay, maybe Lotte Lenya, but you know that's a special case.)  Though for many years now the 83-year-old beloved cabaret star has been singing songs less and less and speaking them more and more, there are few who can match her for painting vivid word pictures and bringing complex dramatic subtext to a lyric.  With pianist Christopher Denny doing a marvelous job of softly supporting her many pauses and tempo changes, Wilson's crushing performance of Marc Blitzstein's translation, played to a pin-drop silent crowd on opening night of her new show at The Metropolitan Room, is an emotionally striking portrayal of a woman who can explode with anger at the mistreatment she endures from her faithless lover while moments later barely control a sob at the admission that she still loves him.  Through the years I've seen Julie Wilson sing 'Surabaya Johnny' many times but her performance that night was the best I've ever seen or heard from anyone.  (And as is typical of her modesty, she actually introduced the song by complimenting Donna Murphy's performance of it on Broadway in LoveMusik.)  She follows it with a devilishly humored 'Mack the Knife' (also Blitzstein's translation) that builds so slowly and precisely that she goes through the entire song twice in order to hit the climax.  I heard no complaints.

Frank Sinatra once stated, 'May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.' Florida Studio Theatre opens its Winter Cabaret Season with That's Life on October 20th. Featuring stylish songs of the 50s and 60s supper clubs, including 'New York, New York,' 'You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You,' and 'Only You.'

Liza Colon-Zayas, Sol Frieder and Elaine Kussack will join Sam Waterston in the world premiere of Athol Fugard's Have You Seen Us?, taking place at Long Wharf Theatre from Nov. 24 to Dec. 20.

Frank Sinatra once stated, 'May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.' Florida Studio Theatre opens its Winter Cabaret Season with That's Life on October 20th. Featuring stylish songs of the 50s and 60s supper clubs, including 'New York, New York,' 'You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You,' and 'Only You.'

The 2009 Kurt Weill Prize for outstanding scholarship on music theater since 1900, carrying a cash prize of $10,000, has been awarded to Joshua Goldstein, Assistant Professor of Chinese History, University of Southern California, for his book Drama Kings: Players and Publics in the Re-creation of Peking Opera 1870-1937 (University of California Press, 2007).

Broadway actress Grace Keagy died of ovarian cancer in Rochester, New York on Sunday, October 4, at the age of 87.

Michael Martinez is proud to present An Evening of Music and Comedy VI at Don't Tell Mama. This showcase and variety show will feature singers Analisa Leaming (Annie - National Tour and The Sound Of Music -Asian Tour), Gabriella Marie Antonino, and Zander Meisner (National Tours of Annie and CATS). Composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak with singers Christina Buckley and Rachel Flynn, will perform songs from her original new musical 'The Quad'.

Michael Martinez is proud to present An Evening of Music and Comedy VI at Don't Tell Mama. This showcase and variety show will feature singers Analisa Leaming (Annie - National Tour and The Sound Of Music -Asian Tour), Gabriella Marie Antonino, and Zander Meisner (National Tours of Annie and CATS). Composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak with singers Christina Buckley and Rachel Flynn, will perform songs from her original new musical 'The Quad'.

Michael Martinez is proud to present An Evening of Music and Comedy VI at Don't Tell Mama. This showcase and variety show will feature singers Analisa Leaming (Annie - National Tour and The Sound Of Music -Asian Tour), Gabriella Marie Antonino, and Zander Meisner (National Tours of Annie and CATS). Composer and lyricist Zoe Sarnak with singers Christina Buckley and Rachel Flynn, will perform songs from her original new musical 'The Quad'.

Comedian Matt Florio of Comedy Doctors Inc. will host An Evening of Music and Comedy VI at Don't Tell Mama.

The Coterie, a new downtown company devoted to developing contemporary music theater works, will launch with a concert at Joe's Pub on September 21st, 2009 at 9:30pm.