Peter Martin News

New York's funniest show Celebrity Autobiography will welcome to the cast music icon Debbie Harry and actor/comedians Janeane Garofalo (The Truth About Cats & Dogs), Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Mario Cantone (Sex and the City) & Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live) for its two May shows on Saturday, May 3 at 7pm and Monday, May 5 at 7pm at Stage 72 (158 West 72nd Street). Tickets are $60, $45 and $35 and can be purchased online at www.SmartTix.com or by phone at 212.868.4444.

Scarsdale Ballet Studio, Westchester's premier destination for classical and contemporary ballet training presents Coppelia this weekend, March 29 and 30 at the Dance Lab at SUNY Purchase College.

The NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL is turning 60! Founded in 1954 by George Wein, the jazz promoter and producer considered the “most famous jazz impresario,” the NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL has become a staple of the jazz community since its inception in Newport, Rhode Island. 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of this legendary, premier annual jazz festival in America. In celebration, a worldwide tour is bringing their jazz stylings to the international public.

Due to excellent reviews and increased audience support, ON KENTUCKY AVENUE, the musical revue based loosely on fact and mostly fiction about the people and performers who took the stage and filled the tables at the majestic Club Harlem 'on Kentucky Avenue' in the north section of Atlantic City from the 1930s until the late 1980s, has added three performances to its schedule at STAGE 72/THE TRIAD, 158 West 72nd Street. The additional performances have been added on Tuesday, March 11, at 8 PM; Sunday, March 16, at 7pm and Thursday, March 27, at 7 PM.

On March 8, New York's funniest show Celebrity Autobiography welcomed to the cast music icon Debbie Harry, The View's Sherri Shepherd, actor/comedian Mario Cantone (Sex and the City), SNL alum Rachel Dratch, Drama Desk-winners Eugene Pack & Dayle Reyfel, and comedy legend Alan Zweibel. Scroll down for photos from the show!

The School of American Ballet's 2014 Winter Ball, in celebration of SAB's 80th Anniversary, took place at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater on Monday, March 3, 2014 and raised more than $1.2 million for scholarships and school programs. Sponsored by legendary French jewelry Maison, Van Cleef & Arpels for the seventh consecutive year, the evening began with cocktails at 7pm and dinner at 8pm, followed by a student performance choreographed specially for the occasion, and The Encore dessert and dancing, sponsored by fifth-generation luxury house, J. Mendel. The proceeds from this event enable SAB to distribute $1.9 million annually in student scholarships as well as support the School's renowned faculty and state-of-the-art facilities at Lincoln Center.

The newly established Cleveland Ballet Youth Company will make its debut performance with the program Where it All Began, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. in PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre. It is no coincidence that this production will take place on the very stage where the former Cleveland Ballet hosted its first professional performances during the late 1970's. Founded by former Cleveland San Jose Ballet principal dancer, Gladisa Guadalupe, who also serves as the company's artistic director, Cleveland Ballet Youth Company is laying the ground work to re-introduce professional ballet to Cleveland audiences. Where it All Began will feature the entire company of Cleveland Ballet Youth Company along with several guest artists from the company's professional division. Musical accompaniment will come courtesy of the newly-founded Cleveland Ballet Orchestra.

New York City Ballet announced today that JR, the prize-winning artist and creator of NYCB's 2014 Art Series installation, The Eye of New York City Ballet, will next collaborate with the Company on an original theatrical work that will premiere on Tuesday, April 29, on the opening night of the Company's 2014 Spring Season.

The NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL is turning 60! Founded in 1954 by George Wein, the jazz promoter and producer considered the “most famous jazz impresario,” the NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL has become a staple of the jazz community since its inception in Newport, Rhode Island. 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of this legendary, premier annual jazz festival in America. In celebration, a worldwide tour is bringing their jazz stylings to the international public.

The School of American Ballet (SAB) announces the 2014 Winter Ball at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater on Monday, March 3, 2014, sponsored by legendary French jewelry Maison, Van Cleef & Arpels for the seventh consecutive year. Cocktails begin at 7pm and dinner will commence at 8pm, followed by The Encore dessert and dancing at 9pm. Attire is black tie. To purchase tickets, a table, or for more information, please contact Natalie Schweizer at nschweizer@sab.org or (212) 769-6610.

Ballet NY presents its 2014 Season, including In the Garden of Souls, the company premieres of Kinderszenen, Dreams, and excerpts from Urban Study, from April 15-17, 2014 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street, NYC (at Ninth Avenue). All performances are at 7:30pm. Tickets are $26 ($16 for students and seniors) and are available at www.smarttix.com or by phone at 212-868-4444.

Balanchine once said, "See the music, hear the dance". The audience at the Koch Theater on the afternoon of February 22nd 2014 had the opportunity to do exactly that when the works of three very different choreographers brought treasured violin concertos to life. Kudos to Concertmasters Arturo Delmoni and Kurt Nikkanen, who offered admirable solo violin performances.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the world-renowned Newport Jazz Festival (August 1-3, 2014), the 'Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60' Tour makes a stop in New York City at the Jazz Standard, 116 East 27th Street, March 4-8. Featuring clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, vocalist/pianist Karrin Allyson, bassist Ben Allison, pianist Peter Martin, guitarist Mark Whitfield, trumpeter Randy Brecker and drummer Clarence Penn, the band has been receiving rave reviews since it kicked off a 17-city tour on February 8 in Atlanta. The first leg of the tour winds down March 30 and will continue with more dates during June, July and August in North America and Europe (including a set at its namesake festival on August 2).

The School of American Ballet announces the 2014 Winter Ball at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater on Monday, March 3, 2014, sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by legendary French Maison Van Cleef & Arpels. Cocktails begin at 7pm and dinner will commence at 8pm, followed by The Encore dessert and dancing at 9pm. Attire is black tie. To purchase tickets, a table, or for more information, please contact Natalie Schweizer at nschweizer@sab.org or (212) 769-6610.

Rolex presents NEW YORK NEW YORK - Career Transition For Dancers' 29th Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 6, 2014 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6th & 7th Aves) NYC followed by dinner at The Grand Ballroom at The Hilton New York. From Broadway to the Battery, NEW YORK NEW YORK will take you on a rockin' ride through the most inimitable, iconic entertainment capital of the world - a mecca for arts and culture. Dance with us around our town, the most diverse city alive! This one-night-only entertainment event of the season features the best talent in theatre and dance performing with the Jubilee Orchestra. The show is produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo.

Scarsdale Ballet Studio, Westchester's premier destination for classical and contemporary ballet training presents Coppelia on March 29 and 30 at the Dance Lab at SUNY Purchase College.

The iconic festival, Newport Jazz Festival, turns 60 and takes the show on a road with Philadelphia performance and debut at the Merriam Theater on Sunday, March 9 at 8 p.m. The Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60 pays homage to jazz luminaries such as Billie Holiday, Dizzie Gillespie, and Duke Ellington, whose classic jazz standards where first recorded at the festival, reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary jazz artists. The program also provides a progressive exploration of global jazz with Brazilian, Gypsy, Latin influences.

New York City Ballet announced today that Zachary Catazaro has been promoted to Soloist. Peter Martins, NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief, made the promotion following the Company's rehearsals on Thursday, February 13.

With Fashion Week 2014 under way in the tents at Lincoln Center from February 6th to 13th, New York City Ballet dusted off Peter Martins' 2012 tribute to iconic designer Valentino for the evening performance at Koch Theater on Saturday, February 8th. A description of 'Bal de Couture' on the company's web site enthused that we would feel as though we were 'on a runway at the ballet'. Not so much. The unwieldy black and white ball gowns with red petticoats, described in a handout available in the lobby as 'dazzling', managed to make the svelte ballerinas appear to be thick-waisted as they maneuvered through Peter Martins' uninspired choreography along with male dancers in black suits. Three dancers in tutus darted in and out of the scenes set to the waltz and the polonaise from Tschaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, looking as though they had ended up at the wrong party. The central section, a cliched love triangle to Tschaikovsky's Elegie in G for Strings, went on far too long - as often happens in ballets by Martins.

In March, New York's funniest show Celebrity Autobiography will welcome to the cast music icon Debbie Harry, The View's Sherri Shepherd, actor/comedians Janeane Garofalo (The Truth About Cats & Dogs) and Mario Cantone (Sex and the City) and actor Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid, My Cousin Vinny), with four shows on Saturday, March 8 at 9pm, Monday, March 10 at 9pm, Friday, March 14 at 9:15pm, and Saturday, March 15 at 7pm at Stage 72 (158 West 72nd Street). Tickets are $60, $45 and $35 and can be purchased online at www.SmartTix.com or by phone at 212.868.4444.