Ricky Pope News

But for all the goody-two-shoes exterior, there’s a devilish glint behind the eyes that hints at something darker. He only lets it out once in a while, but it’s exciting when he does. Sikes is known for his shows honoring Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli. He brings much of their full-throated, show-biz savvy his own performance style. 

Natalie Joy Johnson sent the crowd home happy from The Green Room 42. Happy and hysterical.

John Zisa, an alumnus of American Idol, has deep roots in gospel and R&B and this album is steeped in those traditions, even though the songs are mostly covers of pop tunes. What unifies the 13 tracks is a longing for connection and a belief that love, while often elusive, is our best hope for dealing with the trials of life. It is all filtered through a laid-back style that is introspective and thought-provoking.

I’m not sure if Farah Alvin intended it, but her show is not only about the music of the ’70s. It is also about all kinds of out-of-control love. The sort of obsessive passion that fueled the cynical Watergate decade. The music was theatrical. This makes it a perfect fit for Farah Alvin’s considerable acting skills.

Eden Espinosa uses the word “vibe” a lot in her casual banter. And her show does feel a lot like vibing in her living room. It’s not every singer that could thrive under those conditions, but Espinosa is perfectly at home. She has the hallmark of all great singers. She is able to make you feel as if she is singing each lyric to you and you alone.

Alice Ripley’s gift as a performer has always been to lead with vulnerability. She doesn’t so much sing songs as she inhabits them. There is always a rich inner life going on. She’s one of the most authentic performers you’re likely to see because she's one of the most authentic humans you’re likely to find.

Dawn Derow lit up The West Bank Cafe with a very eclectic mix of favorite golden-age Broadway standards, newer Broadway sounds, pop songs, and even a touch of the operatic. Ms. Derow has a voice that is warm and as comforting as an old friend. She is capable of soprano arias and smokey torch songs and navigates both equally well. I was particularly impressed by her Bassa-nova-tinged version of George Benson’s “This Masquerade,” and her Sweet Dreams,” in which she managed to evoke Patsy Cline without imitating her.

“Dinner music” is really too small a term for what Billy Stritch is doing at the West Bank Cafe. That implies something that’s occurring in the background. His smart jazz arrangements of classics from the Great American Songbook are very much front and center.

The Boy Band Project and The Green Room 42 presents BOY BAND BRUNCH every Sunday at 2 pm. It is a loving tribute to, and a sly send-up of, the boy bands from the 1990's we all loved, lusted after, and laughed at. These guys work harder than any brunch server in the city.

The Skivvies bring the fun back to New York nightlife with their new show at The Green Room 42. Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley create a rocking evening of pop songs, show tunes, mash-up, and parodies that is the best party in town.

As the final concert of three, Melissa Errico and Adam Gopnik premier their evening for the French Institute; Alliance Française, IL PARLE, ELLE CHANTE, PART 3: MYSTERY. It is a treat for the music lover, the knowledge lover, and the francophile.

Award-winning jazzman, Ted Nash, and legendary actress, Glenn Close have teamed up to create an inspiring album of jazz and spoken word pieces in TRANSFORMATION: PERSONAL STORIES OF CHANGE, ACCEPTANCE, AND EVOLUTION. Recorded live as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center series, the album is a triumph that showcases two great artists speaking with one voice.

It started on Joan Rivers' afternoon talk show. This amazing female impersonator named Lypsinka came out and did a number that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I hadn't seen a lot of drag queens in my twenty-five (ish) years on the earth but the ones I had seen didn't have an act like this - it was all telephones ringing and quotes from movies all pieced together with a big rousing musical finish, and I was as mesmerized as Joan Rivers appeared to be, sitting in her chair, captivated by the very original and fascinating performance. I never forgot it. A few years later I became friends with a man named Mark Sendroff and Mark had a hobby that brought him great pleasure and every one of his friends was the beneficiaries of this hobby. Mark Sendroff made these VHS videotapes called Potpourri that were 2 hours of weird and wonderful show business clips, a melange of oddities and treasures that he had collected over the years and turned into party tapes - because at our home we played these tapes at every party. There was a clip of a man named Michael West doing a 2-minute movie called 'Door To Door Dolly,' there was a clip of Mimi Hines singing 'Yesterday I Heard the Rain' at The Triad, there was a clip of Leslie Uggams messing up the words to 'June Is Busting Out All Over,' and there was Lypsinka on The Joan Rivers Show doing her act with all the telephones and lipsyncing to some astonishing recording of 'Get Me To The Church On Time.' If there was one thing I knew about Mark Sendroff, it was that he would know who sang that song and I could, finally, at it to my collection. I called him on the phone and asked him that which had been on my mind all these years and which nobody had had the answer to.

John Tartaglia recently led The Music Man at The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum in Boca Raton, FL. Check out clips from the production!

John Tartaglia recently led The Music Man at The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum in Boca Raton, FL. Let's see what the critics are saying...

The Wick has taken some enormous risks in the areas of performance and design when staging The Music Man. While there were some minor technical glitches on opening night, this production will continue to grow as it completes its run which was just extended to December 28.

The Wick has taken some enormous risks in the areas of performance and design when staging The Music Man. While there were some minor technical glitches on opening night, this production will continue to grow as it completes its run which was just extended to December 28.

John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, Shrek, Johnny & the Sprites) will lead THE MUSIC MAN (Nov. 29 - Dec. 29, 2019) at The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum in Boca Raton, FL.

Due to overwhelming demand, LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is EXTENDING the first show of its 99th season, the perfect romantic comedy to kick off the Summer, ABBA's intoxicating MAMMA MIA!, music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and some songs with Stig Anderson, book by Catherine Johnson, originally conceived by Judy Craymer with musical direction by Ricky Pope and directed & choreographed by Karen Babcock Brassea. Comments Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Executive Director Ellen Richard, "We start our 99th season with one of the all-time great feel-good musicals, MAMMA MIA!! Our subscribers and audiences are going to be dancing queens and kings all summer long with this irresistible and euphoric new production!" MAMMA MIA! begins previews on Friday, July 5; will open on Sunday, July 7 at 5:30pm and now perform through Sunday, August 4, 2019 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

Due to overwhelming demand, LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE is EXTENDING the first show of its 99th season, the perfect romantic comedy to kick off the Summer, ABBA's intoxicating MAMMA MIA!, music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and some songs with Stig Anderson, book by Catherine Johnson, originally conceived by Judy Craymer with musical direction by Ricky Pope and directed & choreographed by Karen Babcock Brassea.