Nita Whitaker News

Last night, Care For the Homeless raised essential funds during Virtual Vereen & Friends, an online benefit to honor CFH healthcare and shelter heroes that provide care for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness every day.

Quarantine Cabaret and Cocktails, produced and hosted by entertainer and LML Music founder, Lee Lessack, and actor and frequent SNL regular, Robert Bannon, made its debut nine weeks ago on Facebook Live.

The Feinstein's/54 Below #54BelowAtHome concert series has been entertaining fans for the last couple of weeks with streaming videos of their concerts over the years, showcasing the likes of Liz Callaway, Charles Busch, and Kyle Dean Massey. This Saturday, April 18th, at 6:30 pm, the concert series will present the iconic and much-loved Tony Award-winning Ben Vereen in his show Steppin' Out With Ben Vereen. In this unforgettable cabaret event, Mr. Verren presents an evening of showstoppers his fans have loved, and stories that will inspire. To set an alert for the show and then catch the show on Saturday night, visit the 54 Below website HERE.

Feinstein's/54 Below continues their #54BelowAtHome series tonight with Ben Vereen's 'Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen' show!

Broadway star Eden Espinosa, recording legend Freda Payne, and Newsies star Dillon Klena have joined the cast of Rockin' in Paradise, a concert to support the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation, it was announced today by Ronn Goswick Entertainment.

To date, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA has enjoyed record-breaking attendance during its 2019 Winter, Spring and Summer seasons, thus the coming of Fall sets high expectations and comparable goals for Executive Producer Michael Sterling.    

To date, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA has enjoyed record-breaking attendance during its 2019 Winter, Spring and Summer seasons, thus the coming of Fall sets high expectations and comparable goals for Executive Producer Michael Sterling.

Ronn Goswick Entertainent has announced Rockin' in Paradise, a concert to support the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation, on Friday, November 8, and Saturday, November 9, at 8pm.  Under the direction of 3-D Theatricals Ovation Award-winner T.J. Dawson with musical direction by Ovation Award-winner Gerald Sternbach, the show will feature some of the best entertainers Broadway and Hollywood have to offer. Executive producers are Norman Hames, Dr. Daniel Kantarovich, Dr. Howard Knohl, and Robert Sciortino.

Anticipating a Broadway bow this season, Born For This: A New Musical took home five awards at the 28th annual NAACP Theatre Awards held last night, June 17, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.  

An Evening of Classic Broadway returned to Upstairs at Vitello's for Mother's Day, where it launched 5 years ago. Headed by Brad Ellis and Dianne Fraser, this was a family show entitled A Classic Broadway Mother's Day, with performers appearing and performing with sons or daughters On tap were Nita Whitaker with her lovely daughter Skye LaFontaine, Tami Tappan Damiano with her son Dante Damiano, Karen Benjamin and her daughter Molly Chapman, Bill A. Jones, the only father, with his daughter Samantha A. Jones, and of course, individually and together, hosts Fraser and Ellis.

Light Up the Night, a fundraising event to benefit the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation, will take place on Sunday, April 28, at the City National Grove of Anaheim. The curtain will rise at 8pm with a special VIP reception and dinner starting at 5:30pm. The event is being produced for APACF by Ronn Goswick Entertainment and Chris Isaacson Presents.

Once again, the NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch's Theatre Viewing Committee has spoken, and the nominations are in for the 28th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. This year's pedigreed list of nominees collectively represents a rich, extensive dossier of legacies and accolades for both stage and screen. These nominees include members of a legendary 'gospel royal family' as well as a Legend whose part of an elite group of artists in the EGOT winners circle. These, along with all their fellow nominees, will be honored for their excellence on the small and large stages during our annual awards dinner, slated to be held on Monday, June 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m.at the prestigious Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

The Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation has set the date for its 2019 fundraising event, it was announced today by APACF board chair Dr. Howard Knohl. Light Up the Night will take place on Sunday, April 28, at the City National Grove of Anaheim. The curtain will rise at 8pm with a special VIP reception and dinner starting at 5:30pm. The event is being produced for APACF by Ronn Goswick Entertainment and Chris Isaacson Presents.

Thousands of music dealers, industry officials and media representatives gathered on Friday evening to experience the second-annual 'Yamaha All-Star Concert on the Grand,' the marquis music event held this week during the 2019 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

Michael Childers' star-studded musical production of One Night Only Broadway Showstoppers will be presented on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 @ 6:30pm, at the McCallum Theatre. This year's show benefits Barbara Sinatra Children's Center. In SHOWSTOPPERS, twenty celebrated performers will come together for an evening of all your favorite songs from the greatest musicals. One Night Only will be directed by famed Broadway choreographer and director Larry Fuller, with music direction by Christopher Marlowe.

Television and Broadway Musical Theatre performer TONOCCUS MCCLAIN debuts his first ever cabaret concert LIVING A WHY NOT LIFE with Musical Director Rob Woyshner on Sunday, January 20th at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA. McClain has hosted television such TV shows as FOX Family's California Summer Countdown, reporting and anchoring Channel One News; and performed in Beauty and the Beast live at the Hollywood Bowl, Game of Thrones live at the LA Forum, numerous shows at the Disneyland Resort, and multiple performances at the Academy Awards. He also traveled North America touring in over 400 performances of The Lion King (Banzai u/s) for six years. He's crossed the globe singing in countries like South Korea, Spain, Germany, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Canada, Australia, and across the Caribbean and back.

Celebrated Producer Michael Childers will bring his latest edition of One Night Only to The McCallum Theatre on April 24, 2019 with a star-studded cast including Christine Andreas, John Barrowman, Liz Calloway and more. This season's ONO is a tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber and proceeds will benefit The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center. I had the chance to catch up with Michael as he was crafting this season's sell-out event. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

BeBe Winans just presented the Broadway-bound musical BORN FOR THIS as a one-night-only concert at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54 St). Sharing the stage with Winans was director Charles Randolph-Wright (Motown), legendary Grammy and American Music Award winning recording artist Stephanie Mills, and members of the cast from last summer's pre-Broadway tryout in Boston including Maddie Shea Baldwin (Bright Star), Liisi LaFontaine(Dreamgirls), Loren Lott (Once on this Island), Donald Webber Jr. (Hamilton), Kirsten Wyatt (Annie), and Nita Whitaker (Ragtime). The evening introduced the BORN FOR THIS story and some of the original songs from the Broadway aimed musical, which also played regional engagements in Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Legendary Grammy and American Music Award winning recording artist and beloved Broadway actress, Stephanie Mills will join BeBe Winans and the cast of the Broadway-bound musical BORN FOR THIS for a one-night-only concert previewing the music from his original musical BORN FOR THIS on Monday, November 5 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54 St).

The producers of the Broadway-bound musical BORN FOR THIS, today announced that Gospel and R&B music legend BEBE WINANS will host a one-night-only concert previewing the music from his original musical BORN FOR THIS on Monday, November 5 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54 St). For tickets please visit https://54below.com/events/born-for-this/