Marilyn News

Al Heartley has been named managing director of the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts by the School of Communication at Northwestern University. Heartley comes to Northwestern from the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., where he served as director of development.

By popular demand, ScoBar Entertainment and The Iridium are proud to present award-winning vocalist MARILYN MAYE and her trio in a special Valentine's show, Marilyn Maye-Always from the Heart, for a four-day engagement, Thursday, February 14 through Sunday, February 17. In celebration of Valentine's Day, there will be two performances on Thursday, February 14, at 7 pm and 9:30 pm. All other performances play at 8 pm nightly.

Messer are continuing their momentum from their breakout year by releasing 'Simple Man', the 3rd single and video from their self-titled debut album, which bowed at #3 on the Soundscan New Artist chart and was named 'New and Noteworthy at iTunes. The Dallas, Texas based band had a banner year in 2018 with first single “Make This Life” reaching #25 on the Active Rock radio charts, and second single 'Save Myself' also made it into the Top 30 - the only truly independent act to do so.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, announces additional performances of Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler and directed by Vanessa Stalling. Photograph 51 now runs through February 23, 2019, at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts presents the Los Angeles premiere of Renee Taylor's MY LIFE ON A DIET, the award-winning, autobiographical comedy written by Taylor and Joseph Bologna, which opens its 12 performance, limited engagement on Friday, April 5 and continues through Sunday, April 14, 2019, in The Wallis's Bram Goldsmith Theater.

The Australian Discovery Orchestra, the world's first solely digital streaming orchestra, is proud to announce "16 STORIES" - a worldwide online vocal competition. Renowned musical theatre creators from around the world have contributed a song from a musical they have written that has never previously been recorded for commercial release; these 16 songs will comprise an upcoming Australian Discovery Orchestra album, to be released on the Broadway Records label.

The 2019 Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival features an extraordinary roster of twenty-two musical groups, highlighted by the festival debut of Grammy award winning artist Norah Jones, and the return of jazz legend George Benson and festival favorite Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Back by popular demand is also Los Van Van 50th Anniversary, Django Festival All-Stars with Edmar Castañeda and Grace Kelly, Joshua Redman Quartet, and James Carter Organ Trio. Fifteen emerging artists making their Saratoga debuts include Kandace Springs, Donna Grantis, Joey DeFrancesco Trio, Mercy Project which features Jon Cowherd, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, and Steve Cardenas, Antonio Sanchez & Migration, and Cha Wa. The festival will also feature a record number of groups led by women artists, highlighted by Allison Miller, Veronica Swift, Ruthie Foster and Youn Sun Nah.

The award-winning, autobiographical comedy MY LIFE ON A DIET, starring Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning writer and actress Renee Taylor, will kick off a national tour this spring with three performances at The Gateway, Performing Arts Center of Suffolk County (215 South Country Road, Bellport, NY 11713) on Friday, March 15 at 8pm and Saturday, March 16 at 3pm & 8pm. The tour continues with a limited run at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts' Lovelace Studio Theater (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210) from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 14. Dates in other cities across the U.S. and in Canada will be announced in the coming weeks.

An outspoken political activist and singer-songwriter, Holly Near's music and life story illustrate how song can have the power to send a clarion call and influence the course of social justice - from the lesbian and women's movements to anti-war efforts and the fight to give South American women a voice. American Masters - Holly Near: Singing for Our Lives explores how the activist-artist provided an inspiring soundtrack to nearly a half-century of global and local struggles for equality and change. Directed by four-time Emmy Award-winner Jim Brown (American Masters - The Highwaymen: Friends Til The End, American Masters - Pete Seeger: The Power of Song), the documentary premieres nationwide Friday, March 1 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) in honor of Women's History Month and will be available to stream the following day via pbs.org/americanmasters and PBS apps.

Birdland mainstays Jim Caruso & Billy Stritch return to Birdland Theater with "The Sunday Set," an evening of swinging standards Sundays, February 3, 10 and 17, with shows at 7:30pm.  Bassist Steve Doyle will join the duo. 

Birds of a feather flock together, so they say, and in the case of BRIEFS: THE SECOND COMING, that pursuit can involve actual feathers.

Two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominee Michael Feinstein returns to Feinstein's at the Nikko May 9-12, 2019 with It Might as Well Be Spring, an all-new show celebrating the great mothers of song.

What's hot in 2019 at the Delaware theaters you know and love.

The chemistry of the leads, along with the support of the terrific cast, makes Ripcord a delight to watch from beginning to end. As Meyers fittingly mentions in her director's notes, 'If you have the right people in the room and a great script…the rest of a director's job is simply guidance...I am delighted with every converging aspect of Ripcord.' You will be delighted, too.

Garry Marshall Theatre presents the West End and Broadway play The Mountaintop by Katori Hall.  The Mountaintop is directed by Gregg T. Daniel, who recently staged A Raisin in the Sun at A Noise Within (Ovation Award nomination for Best Director) and Her Portmanteau at Boston Court.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

Jim Cartwright's multi-award winning The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is coming back to Sydney and the cast and crew recently threw open the doors to the rehearsal room for an exclusive look at the brand new production ahead of its premiere on 5 February.

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, continues its 2018/19 season with Photograph 51 by Anna Ziegler and directed by Vanessa Stalling. Photograph 51 runs January 17 - February 17, 2019 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. The press opening is Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 7:30pm.