Once upon a time, right here in New York City, storied clubs - swanky hotel supper clubs, zebra-striped celebrity showcases, smoky after-hour boîtes - ruled the night. Places like The Stork Club, Copacabana, Persian Room and Latin Quarter (run by Lou Walters, father of Barbara ) were meccas where songwriters, singers and society mingled and fueled American popular music. Author and Lyrics & LyricistsTM series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer takes the helm as artistic director/writer/host for The Crowd's at El Morocco: The Heyday of the New York Nightclubs, on April 30 and May 1, 2. Joining her are vocalists Debby Boone, La Tanya Hall, James Naughton, Billy Stritch and Karen Ziemba.
Caitlin Mathes, mezzo-soprano of Dayville, Connecticut, won the $15,000 First Prize in the finals of the 2011 Lotte Lenya Competition, held on April 16, 2011, at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. Instead of awarding Second and Third Prizes, judges presented three equal prizes of $8,000 each to Jing Lin, soprano, of Putian, China; Emma Sewell, soprano, of London, England; and Jacob Lewis Smith, bass/baritone, of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Once upon a time, right here in New York City, storied clubs - swanky hotel supper clubs, zebra-striped celebrity showcases, smoky after-hour boîtes - ruled the night. Places like The Stork Club, Copacabana, Persian Room and Latin Quarter (run by Lou Walters, father of Barbara ) were meccas where songwriters, singers and society mingled and fueled American popular music. Author and Lyrics & LyricistsTM series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer takes the helm as artistic director/writer/host for The Crowd's at El Morocco: The Heyday of the New York Nightclubs, on April 30 and May 1, 2. Joining her are vocalists Debby Boone, La Tanya Hall, James Naughton, Billy Stritch and Karen Ziemba.
Kelli O'Hara and Will Chase will star in Bells Are Ringing, the first Encores! production of the New York City Center season, running November 18-21 at City Center. The cast also features Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Kaye, Brad Oscar and David Pittu. Bells Are Ringing, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall with music direction by Rob Berman, has music by Jule Styne and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.
New York City Center's 2010-2011 Encores! season will open with the 1956 Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green musical Bells Are Ringing, November 18 - 21, 2010. The season will continue with Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's Lost in the Stars, February 3 - 6, 2011, followed by Frank Loesser's and George Abbott's Where's Charley?, March 17 - 20.
Tony Award winner Donna Murphy will join Sutton Foster in Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' Anyone Can Whistle in the final New York City Center Encores! production of the 2009-2010 season. Ms. Murphy will play Mayor Cora Hoover Hooper, the role originated by Angela Lansbury. Anyone Can Whistle, running for five performances April 8 - 11, will be directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw with musical direction by Rob Berman.
Fred Applegate, George Hearn, David Patrick Kelly, Michael McCormick, Rondi Reed, Elena Shaddow, James Snyder and Ted Sutherland have been cast in Fanny, the 50th Encores! musical produced by New York City Center since 1994 and the second Encores! production of the season. Fanny, running February 4 - 7, has music and lyrics by Harold Rome and book by S.N. Behrman and Joshua Logan, and is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy Marius, Fanny and Cesar. Fanny will be directed by Mark Bruni and choreographed by Lorin Latarro with music direction by Rob Berman.
The critically acclaimed open mic series, Big Night Out is bigger and better than ever! Billed as a delicious gathering for the musical community, Big Night Outis a unique and supportive environment for performers and composers of all backgrounds to come together and perform the music that they love.
Girl Crazy, the first Encores! production of the New York City Center season, will star Ana Gasteyer, Wayne Knight and Marc Kudisch and will run November 19 - 22. Girl Crazy, directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle with Guest Music Director Rob Fisher, has music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan.
Finian's Rainbow began previews at Broadway's ST. James Theatre, 246 West 44 Street, on Thursday, October 8 at 8pm, with an opening set for Thursday, October 29 at 6:45pm.
Singer/songwriter, actor and author Ashanti will make her stage debut as Dorothy in the New York City Center Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, June 12 - July 5 at New York City Center (W. 55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues). The Wiz, the 1974 rock and soul musical based on the beloved L. Frank Baum story about Dorothy and her adventures in Oz, will be directed by Thomas Kail and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, with music direction by Alex Lacamoire, (the team responsible for the Tony-winning In the Heights).
Girl Crazy, with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan, will open New York City Center's 2009-2010 Encores! season on November 19, 2009. The season will continue with Fanny, with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan, on February 4, 2010. Fanny will be the 50th Encores! production presented by City Center since 1994. The season will conclude with Anyone Can Whistle, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' legendary 1964 musical, on April 8, 2010.
Tony Award-winners Philip Bosco, Jim Norton and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, as well as Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Jeremy Bobb starred in Finian's Rainbow, the final production of New York City Center's 2008-09 Encores! season, preformances ran from March 26 - 29. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there to celebrate with the cast at the closing night party!
Tony Award-winners Philip Bosco, Jim Norton and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, as well as Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Jeremy Bobb starred in Finian's Rainbow, the final production of New York City Center's 2008-09 Encores! season, preformances ran from March 26 - 29. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there to cheer the cast on during the final show of the season!
Tony Award-winners Philip Bosco, Jim Norton and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, as well as Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Jeremy Bobb star in Finian's Rainbow, the final production of New York City Center's 2008-09 Encores! season, running from March 26 - 29. Finian's Rainbow has music by Burton Lane, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and book by E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy and will be directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle with music direction by Rob Berman. The musical will play five performances at City Center (West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues).
Tony Award-winners Philip Bosco, Jim Norton and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, as well as Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, and Jeremy Bobb star in Finian's Rainbow, the final production of New York City Center's 2008-09 Encores! season. Performances begin tonight March 26th, and runs through to March 29th.
