Makin Whoopee News

Christine Baranski, Kelli Barrett, Walter Bobbie, Jeremy Cohen, Dalton Harrod, Randy Skinner, Shonn Wiley, Karen Ziemba,New York City Ballet Principaldancer Joaquin De Luz and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Irina Dvorovenko will star in Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes, the final Encores! presentation of the 2012-13 New York City Center season.

Billed as Barbara Cook's Special 85th Birthday Concert, the Tony Award-winning soprano's one-woman concert of musical theatre songs, rare selections, and jazz standards at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa was met with well-earned---and well-deserved---adoring cheers throughout the evening. And if the concert was Cook's master class in musical performance, her latter interview with ASCAP's Michael Kerker was a symposium on how to be the best entertainer one can be.

Christine Baranski, Kelli Barrett, Walter Bobbie, Jeremy Cohen, Dalton Harrod, Randy Skinner, Shonn Wiley, Karen Ziemba,New York City Ballet Principaldancer Joaquin De Luz and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Irina Dvorovenkowill star in Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes, the final Encores! presentation of the 2012-13 New York City Center season. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, On Your Toes will have guest music direction by Encores! founding music director Rob Fisher and will play seven performances, from May 8 - 12 at New York City Center, W. 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). The "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" ballet, originally choreographed by George Balanchine, will be staged by Susan Pilarre, who served as a Ballet Mistress of the show's 1983 Broadway Revival.

It is probably not the best form for a writer to begin a composition with “There are No Words To Describe” … but that is the first thing that came to mind after spending a glorious evening in the theatre with a true American Musical Theatre treasure, Barbara Cook, last Thursday at The McCallum. In actuality, there are words. Marvelous. Magnificent. Mesmerizing. And, many more. It was one of those – “Pinch me -- I'm so lucky to be here tonight” sort of evenings and one I will not soon forget. Ms. Cook, at 85, was suffering from an infection in her vocal chords and began the show with a tongue in cheek disclaimer – “Now, don't go home and tell everybody she's losing her voice” – but even at “partial voice' it was an evening not to be missed.

On September 25th, music legend Barbara Cook releases an all new recording, Loverman, her latest from DRG Records. Loverman is somewhat of a departure from Ms. Cook's traditional Broadway repertoire, featuring instead a large collection of jazz and standards. In addition to the release of Loverman, on October 18th Ms. Cook will perform a concert at Carnegie Hall in celebration her 85th birthday.

I first fell in love with Barbara Cook when I was a small child and was taken to see Plain and Fancy. What I remember to this day from that show is Barbara Cook coming onstage in a turquoise Lincoln Continental. The car had a black leather interior and she was dressed to match - turquoise sheath dress with black shoes, belt and hat. It was my ideal picture of what being a grown-up woman should be like (still is). Even though, I saw her many times after that and realized what a beautiful voice she possesses, that picture of her has never left my mind.

On Saturday June 30, Valley Performing Arts Center, Northridge played host to the exquisite Miss Barbara Cook, still radiant at 84, who is perhaps the greatest legendary singer to ever grace a stage. What can one say about this living legend that has not already been said to death? I can only add that being in her presence, as I sat in the vast auditorium, I felt like I had been invited into her living room and was sharing a gift that she was giving to me alone and then, of course, to everyone else lucky enough to be there. She made each and every one feel special.

Tonight, May 19, 2012, The Broadway Comedy Club in NYC will host the "Makin' Whoopie Comedy Show - Sex & the City Style." It is the first time the event travels to NYC featuring six funny ladies, burlesque dancers, and a singer doing a special rendition of the song Makin' Whoopee. There have been several other Makin' Whoopie Comedy Shows that sold out in DC and Easton, MD. The event will benefit Women In Need (WIN), a NY-based non-profit that provides shelter to homeless women and their children as well as the tools to lead independent lives.

On Saturday, May 19, 2012, The Broadway Comedy Club in NYC will host the "Makin' Whoopie Comedy Show - Sex & the City Style." It is the first time the event travels to NYC featuring six funny ladies, burlesque dancers, and a singer doing a special rendition of the song Makin' Whoopee. There have been several other Makin' Whoopie Comedy Shows that sold out in DC and Easton, MD. The event will benefit Women In Need (WIN), a NY-based non-profit that provides shelter to homeless women and their children as well as the tools to lead independent lives.

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that COME FLY AWAY is coming to the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe St., Chicago) for a limited two-week engagement Jan. 10-22, 2012.

92Y's Lyrics & Lyricists just presented MAKIN' WHOOPEE: Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn and the Jazz Age. Robert Kimball hosted the evening, which featured Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, Christine Andreas, Jason Graae, Howard McGillin, and William Bolcom & Joan Morris. BroadwayWorld was there for the concert and brings you photos below!

92Y's Lyrics & Lyricists will present MAKIN' WHOOPEE: Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn and the Jazz Age.

92Y's Lyrics & Lyricists will present MAKIN' WHOOPEE: Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn and the Jazz Age.

On Sunday November 27, vivacious Lyn Stanley made her much anticipated cabaret debut @ Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's to an enthusiastic crowd. Stanley is a champion ballroom dancer, who at the advice of musician Paul T. Smith, made a dynamic transition to singing. Stanley has just the right style for night club work. Not unlike Peggy Lee, she is sensuously alluring, and when she performs numbers like 'Fever' or 'Do Right', Lee's first big hit, she really hits the mark. It's her emphasis on the lyrics that truly gives her delivery its flair.

Singer Lyn Stanley will appear at Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's on Sunday November 27. She has an amazingly diversified background to share with us. Tell me about your background, which, I understand has taken a shift twice in totally divergent directions, from businesswoman to pro champion dancer to singer.

Lyn Stanley, noted for her beautiful voice, emotional lyric interpretations and glamorous stage presence, will bring her new show, 'Makin' Whoopee' to the Arthur Newman Theatre at the Joslyn Center on Sunday, October 30, 2011 at a 2 PM performance.

92nd Street Y announces the 2012 line-up for Lyrics & LyricistsTM, 92Y's celebrated American Songbook series, with DEBORAH GRACE WINER at the helm for her fourth season as series artistic director. Guest artistic directors returning to lead the individual concerts are ROB FISHER, ROBERT KIMBALL, TED SPERLING, and REX REED. Noted stage director and lyricist (and L&L veteran) MARK WALDROP makes his debut this season as a guest artistic director.

PlayhouseSquare announces today its entire seven-show line-up for the 2011 - 2012 KeyBank Broadway Series at PlayhouseSquare.